Four Additional Defendants Plead Guilty in Gun Trafficking Conspiracy

CONCORD – United States Attorney Erin Creegan announced today that four additional defendants have pleaded guilty to federal firearms offenses in connection with an international firearms trafficking conspiracy that funneled illegally obtained weapons from New Hampshire through the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation in New York. The investigation uncovered that members of the conspiracy trafficked firearms into Canada while also trafficking narcotics and humans into the United States.

The four latest defendants to plead guilty in the case between the dates of September 26 and October 9, 2026 are all residents of the Akwesane Mohawk Indian Reservation straddling the U.S.-Canada border from New York to Quebec. They are:

• Conrad Oakes, 25, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit straw purchasing of firearms and conspiracy to traffic firearms. His sentencing is scheduled for February 23, 2027.

• Tayson Terrance, 24, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit straw purchasing of firearms and conspiracy to traffic firearms. His sentencing is scheduled for February 19, 2027.

• Ranonkwatseronhawi Gibson, 22, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit straw purchasing of firearms and conspiracy to traffic firearms. His sentencing is scheduled for February 16, 2027.

• Montana Cook, 27, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit straw purchasing of firearms and conspiracy to traffic firearms. His sentencing is scheduled for February 16, 2027.

Oakes, Terrance, Gibson and Cook were among eight defendants indicted in May 2026. Five other defendants, including Justin Jackson, Melissa Longe, Dustin Tuttle, Caleb Wilcott, and Doug Mulligan, had previously pleaded guilty to firearms offenses arising from the investigation. 

According to court documents, the investigation began with a firearms trace. A firearm was recovered by the Montreal City Police Department (SVPM) in Montreal, Quebec as part of a search warrant executed in a kidnapping investigation. SVPM recovered a firearm with an obliterated serial number, which they were able to restore. This firearm was purchased by defendant and co-conspirator Dustin Tuttle in New Hampshire. Subsequent investigation revealed a larger conspiracy to smuggle weapons from New Hampshire to Vermont, New York, and ultimately to Canada.

ATF and HSI agents learned that the conspiracy utilized the Akwesasne reservation to cross between the U.S. and Canada. One of the defendants utilized jets skis to smuggle contraband, including straw purchased firearms, from the New York portion of the Akwesasne to Cornwall Island. Once the contraband was on Cornwall Island, a resident would then ferry the contraband through the checkpoint and further into Canada. Through this investigation, the ATF and HSI learned that drugs, humans, and guns were trafficked to and from Canada utilizing Cornwall Island.

ATF and HSI have identified approximately 51 firearms potentially trafficked from New Hampshire to Canada through Vermont and the Akwesasne reservation in New York and Canada, at least ten of which were subsequently recovered at various Canadian crime scenes, in Canada. For example, after an attempted shooting in a parking lot in Montreal, Canadian law enforcement was able to find the discarded firearm which was used. That firearm was purchased by defendant and member of the conspiracy, Melissa Longe, from a Federal Firearms Licensee in Winchester, New Hampshire. 

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

This investigation was led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Sûreté du Québec (SQ), Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police (SRMTP), Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service (AMPS), New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision-Office of Special Investigations, Manchester Police Department, and the Keene Police Department have provided valuable assistance.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

“These defendants have admitted to operating a sophisticated firearms trafficking network that exploited New Hampshire gun dealers, straw purchasers, and the international border to move dozens of firearms into Canada, facilitating further trafficking crime and violent crimes,” said Erin Creegan, United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire. “Guns purchased in New Hampshire and traded through this criminal enterprise were later recovered at crime scenes involving offenses such as kidnapping and attempted murder. We are grateful for the partnership between our federal agencies, Canadian and tribal authorities, as well as state and local law enforcement in New Hampshire and New York that helped investigate these crimes and take down this dangerous network.”

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

“These convictions demonstrate the effectiveness of intelligence-driven policing and cooperative law enforcement efforts in bringing criminal charges against firearm traffickers. Crime gun intelligence connected firearms recovered at different crime scenes in Canada, advancing our Canadian partner’s domestic investigations into violent crime while simultaneously alerting ATF to a transnational firearms trafficking scheme at work in the United States. The guilty pleas hold accountable individuals who exploited that access to firearms and the freedom to travel while undermining public safety in both countries. ATF is proud of our partnerships with our federal, state, local and international law enforcement partners and will continue to work together to build safe communities on both sides of the border,” said Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Boston Field Division. 

“These guilty pleas demonstrate the serious consequences of trafficking firearms across international borders and into communities where they can fuel violent crime. This case is a powerful example of what can be accomplished when law enforcement partners share intelligence, resources, and expertise across jurisdictions and borders. ATF remains committed to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling firearms trafficking networks that threaten public safety. We commend the outstanding work of ATF Boston and ATF New York Albany personnel, HSI New York, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Police, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire, and our Canadian law enforcement partners whose persistence and collaboration brought these defendants to justice,” said Bryan DiGirolamo, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s New York Field Division.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

The charge of conspiracy to straw-purchase firearms provides a maximum prison term of 25 years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and not more than five years of supervised release. The charge of conspiracy to traffic firearms provides a maximum prison term of 15 years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and not more than three years of supervised release. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF New Hampshire comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, IRS, DEA, ATF, USMS, and DSS with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Marin, Assistant U.S. Attorney Yasir Sadat, and Paralegal Specialist Kristina McNamara are handling the prosecution on behalf of the United States.