The third time was not the charm for Kyshawn Joshua Maxwell of Toronto.
The 24-year-old former high school football star was arrested during a traffic stop in Madison County, Kentucky.
Cops allege that Maxwell was transporting 43 firearms, including stolen weapons and firearms equipped with machine-gun conversion devices, according to the criminal complaint filed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
While Maxwell was allegedly en route to Detroit, investigators believe the ultimate destination for the weapons was the streets of Canada.
According to the indictment, on Sept. 25, Kentucky State Troopers stopped a Nissan Rogue travelling north on I-75 after observing the vehicle swerving and showing signs of impaired driving.
The driver, who confessed he was stoned, told officers he was an Atlanta Lyft driver and that he had been paid $600 to drive Maxwell and a friend to Detroit. He then gave troopers the green light to search the car.
Officers discovered a plastic tote bag containing the guns.
According to the ATF, six of the firearms were reported stolen, and five others had been illegally modified with machine-gun conversion devices (Glock switches).
At that point, it was determined that Maxwell wasn’t a U.S. citizen, nor was he a licensed firearms dealer, importer, or collector, which makes his possession of the weapons unlawful under federal law.
Cops say that Maxwell told investigators during an interrogation that he had been hired to procure the guns in Atlanta and ship them to Detroit. He was allegedly instructed to retrieve the guns from a storage unit after being given the key by an unnamed individual in Canada.
Maxwell allegedly told detectives that this was his third trip shipping guns. He reportedly told investigators that he moved around 45 guns on each of his previous two trips.
The criminal complaint said that his alleged payday for each trip was $15,000.
Maxwell now faces charges under Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 922(a)(9), which prohibits individuals who are not licensed firearms dealers and who are not U.S. residents from receiving or transporting firearms unless for lawful sporting purposes.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
If convicted, Maxwell could face significant federal prison time for his involvement in the illegal firearms trafficking scheme.
@HunterTOSun