Eighteen in custody in raids following a weapons sting in St. Paul
Six months ago, St. Paul undercover police officers and federal authorities set up a storefront operation on the city's East Side and opened for the business of buying weapons and other contraband.

Last update: May 17, 2007 – 11:54 PM

Six months ago, St. Paul undercover police officers and federal authorities set up a storefront operation on the city's East Side and opened for the business of buying weapons and other contraband.

Called "Operation Capital City Cleanup," the effort ended today with 18 people arrested, dozens of weapons seized and large amounts of drugs taken off the street, authorities said at a news conference this afternoon.

"St. Paul is a safer city today than it was six months ago," Police Chief John Harrington said at the news conference, where several guns and drugs were displayed. "But this is only the beginning."

Eighteen people are in custody, including four who face federal weapons charges. Authorities will trace where the weapons came from, and more charges are expected.

The suspects were rounded up yesterday and today during raids involving more than 30 officers. They had no connection with each other, police said, apart from the contraband business that sprang from the storefront operation.

Agencies involved in the raids included the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, St. Paul police and the Ramsey County sheriff's office.

CURT BROWN

Hmmm... I wonder what it cost to run this sting operation just to get a dozen or so guns "off the street"...? $1 million, $2 million? They could have spent that money buying guns and gotten them "off the street" more effectively.

Hmmm... I wonder what it cost to run this sting operation just to get a dozen or so guns "off the street"...?

18 nabbed in St. Paul sting that nets many stolen guns

Authorities used a phony storefront to crack down on weapons and drug trafficking in St. Paul.

By Curt Brown, Star Tribune

Last update: May 17, 2007 – 11:54 PM

When a storefront opened on St. Paul's East Side last October, little did customers know that the clerks were undercover St. Paul cops and federal agents buying stolen guns and other contraband.

The six-month Operation Capital City Cleanup ended Thursday with 18 people in custody, dozens of weapons off the street, and assorted drugs, cash and vehicles seized.

"St. Paul is a much safer place today than it was six months ago," St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington said. "It was a really impressive piece of work to run a storefront, run down leads and pull together and package them into cases that will take serious bad guys and put them away."

And tracing the seized guns will lead to more arrests, authorities say.

'Only the beginning'

This is only the beginning," said Bernard Zapor, special agent in charge of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Harrington lent two undercover officers to a team of nine ATF agents, who ran the storefront.

Zapor declined to give many details, saying he was "being purposely vague because it's an investigative technique we hope to use again."

Stopping the trafficking of stolen firearms, according to one search warrant, was the focus of the investigation. And the storefront was the crux of the operation.

"That was the trunk of the tree," Zapor said.

"Other operations spurred from that, including undercover narcotics investigations. But the storefront was the center and core of this case."

No link among suspects

There was no obvious link among the 18 suspects arrested in various parts of St. Paul. About 30 officers on four teams began raids Wednesday morning, rounding up suspects and evidence. Those arrested are expected to be charged with various weapons and drug offenses, and they include felons and gang members who allegedly sold guns to undercover agents.

At least three of the suspects, all from St. Paul, are facing federal charges and were identified as Jeanne (Ma Barker) Finch, 49; Darius Denny, 39; and Lucas Madison, 26, who was arrested after abandoning a stolen motorcycle and fleeing on foot. Police said drugs were found in the motorcycle.

State charges are expected to be filed against at least 13 others arrested in the raids and police are hoping to bring in at least eight more suspects.

"This is the midpoint of the story," Harrington said. "Each of the guns tells a story."

Zapor said the seized weapons, which included knives, rifles and handguns "are almost like DNA and provide us with unique intelligence" that will help determine where they came from. He said most guns used in crimes had left the control of a legal dealer within the past two years and only changed hands one time.

Harrington said the goal of the operation was to be "proactive to the atrocities of gun violence" instead of simply reacting after someone is killed. He said 650 crime guns were removed from St. Paul streets last year, a tenfold increase over recent years.

Curt Brown • 651-298-1542 • curt.brown@startribune.com

He said most guns used in crimes had left the control of a legal dealer within the past two years and only changed hands one time.

At least in this instance it appears they were targeting real criminals instead of trying to take away my rights to solve the crime problem.

Oh no.... The criminals are free to continue their unlawfull ways.... But the GUNS are on lockdown with no chance of parole!

Mostly-

FFL's know stolen guns when they see them so it's not safe to try to sell to an FFL.

How?