Three Greenville, S.C., men appeared Friday in U.S. District Court in Gainesville on charges that they illegally transported guns across state lines to sell them.
Zachary Griffin, 24, David Judge, 35, and Lawrence Dawson, 34, were informed of the charges against them during a brief initial appearance in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Cole.
According to court documents, a Jefferson police officer on Tuesday pulled over a Lincoln Town Car that was speeding and weaving on Interstate 85 near mile marker 135.
When the officer asked for a driver’s license, the driver, Griffin, opened a console where a plastic bag containing bullets could be seen. Asked if there were guns in the car, Griffin said they were in the trunk.
The officer found two handguns and a .22 caliber GSG-5 rifle that had been fitted with a silencer, according to court documents.
In a subsequent interview with an agent with the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Griffin admitted they were taking the guns to Atlanta to sell them, according to court documents.
Griffin was charged with possession of a silencer not registered to him and conspiring to transport firearms from South Carolina to Georgia to sell.
Judge and Dawson are both charged with being convicted felons in possession of firearms that traveled or affected interstate commerce.
According to court documents, Judge has a 1997 conviction for dealing cocaine in Michigan City, Indiana, and was charged in Greenville in October with assault with intent to kill.
Lawrence has several felony convictions, including a 2002 conviction for attempted felony breaking and entering in Southgate, Michigan.
All three men remain in federal custody pending a Wednesday detention hearing.
The case was investigated by the Jefferson Police Department, Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the ATF.