SARASOTA, FLORIDA — A former cross-border truck driver from Sarasota received a four-year-and-three-month federal prison sentence for purchasing 28 firearms in Florida and smuggling them into Canada, where investigators later recovered ten of the weapons from crime scenes — all with obliterated serial numbers.
U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven sentenced Erhan John Er, 35, of Sarasota, on April 2, 2026. Er pleaded guilty on December 19, 2024. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam W. McCall prosecuted the case.
How the Scheme Worked
From February to September 2022, Er worked as a cross-border truck driver based in Sarasota. He agreed to purchase firearms for a Canadian co-conspirator and use his trucking routes to move them across the border. In July and September 2022, Er bought 28 guns from dealers in Sarasota and Naples, Florida, telling dealers he was buying them for personal use. He then transported the weapons into Canada and sold them to his co-conspirator for $1,000 Canadian per gun, plus expense reimbursement.
Canadian investigators later recovered ten of those firearms from crime scenes in Ontario and Quebec. Every recovered weapon had an obliterated serial number. Investigators restored the serial numbers and traced each gun back to Er’s Florida purchases.
“Er falsely claimed to gun dealers that he was buying guns for himself, only to smuggle the guns into Canada, where they were used in multiple crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe. “Working together with our local, federal, and international partners, this scheme was uncovered and Er has been brought to justice.”
OPP Chief Superintendent Mike Stoddart of the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau highlighted the cross-border collaboration. “This investigation demonstrates the effectiveness of cross-border partnerships in protecting our communities. The OPP remains committed to working closely with our Canadian and U.S. law enforcement partners to disrupt organized criminal networks and prevent illegal firearms from crossing our shared border,” Stoddart said.
Investigating Agencies
The investigation involved the ATF — including attachés in Ontario and Quebec and field offices in Buffalo and Rochester — Homeland Security Investigations, CBP, the Canada Border Services Agency, Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec, Durham Regional Police, Halton Regional Police, Hamilton Police, Thunder Bay Police, Toronto Police, York Regional Police, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
