US busts cross-border gun smuggling ring; Pakistani among 3 held with 89 firearms

The US law enforcement has dismantled an international weapons trafficking operation, arresting three men, including a Pak national. Malik Bromfield, Faizan Ali, and Kamal Salman were intercepted in New York, transporting 89 firearms — including 17 stolen guns and two illegal short-barreled rifles — toward the Canadian border.

According to a US justice department document, it was on May 8 that the federal authorities in the Southern District of New York filed a formal criminal complaint against the trio following a major firearms interdiction in Sullivan County area.

The three individuals face multiple felony charges, including the fraudulent export of merchandise, unlicensed firearms dealing, possession of stolen firearms, and the possession of unregistered short-barreled rifles.

The investigation began on the evening of May 7, 2026, when New York State Police executed a traffic stop on a white Ford Explorer traveling westbound on State Route 17 near Liberty, New York.

Cops initiated the stop after observing the vehicle, which bore North Carolina plates, committing multiple traffic violations. During the roadside interview, the occupants provided conflicting stories regarding their travel; the driver, Bromfield, claimed they were traveling from New York City to Syracuse, while the passengers, Ali and Salman, stated they were coming from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Suspicion deepened when a search of Ali’s person revealed an expired Pakistani National Driving Permit for an Afghan national concealed in his clothing.

The situation escalated when an NYSP canine unit alerted officers to the presence of narcotics near the front passenger door. This led to a preliminary search of the SUV, which uncovered a massive cache of weapons.

In the rear of the vehicle, troopers found an unusually heavy suitcase packed with firearms. Subsequent searches authorised by a federal warrant recovered a total of 89 firearms from three pieces of luggage and the vehicle floor.

Among the seized weapons were 17 firearms previously reported stolen from Florida and Texas, and two short-barreled Anderson and Smith & Wesson rifles that were not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

Federal agents believe the group was engaged in an international smuggling operation. A GPS application visible on Bromfield’s seized cellphone was set to an address in Hammond, New York, located directly across the St. Lawrence River from Ontario, Canada.

Authorities also recovered approximately $3,000 in $100 bills from the glovebox. Records indicate that Bromfield and Ali are foreign nationals, while Salman is a U.S. citizen travelling on a Canadian passport. Ali is also reportedly wanted on outstanding warrants in Canada for methamphetamine trafficking and a fatal vehicle collision. None of the defendants held the necessary federal licenses to deal or export firearms, cops said.