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RIAG: Providence Man Gets 6.5 Years On Firearms, Cocaine, Marijuana Charges

[CREDIT: Image Capture Oct. 2016 (C) Google] RI Superior Court at 255 Benefit St., Providence.

[CREDIT: Image Capture Oct. 2016 (C) Google] RI Superior Court at 255 Benefit St., Providence.
[CREDIT: Image Capture Oct. 2016 (C) Google] RI Superior Court at 255 Benefit St., Providence.
PROVIDENCE  — Attorney General Peter F. Neronha has announced a Providence man convicted for illegal possession and selling of firearms, marijuana and cocaine has been sentenced to 10 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) with six and a half years to serve.

Providence Superior Court Justice Robert D. Krause sentenced Brian Luna, 23, on Oct. 11, 2019 after the man pleaded guilty to seven felony firearm and drug charges, Neronha’s office reported. Luna will spend the balance of his sentence on probation.

Luna pleaded to one count each of: possession of firearms while possessing with intent to deliver marijuana and cocaine, possession of pistols without a license, altering serial numbers on firearms, conspiracy to alter serial numbers, selling pistols without proper paperwork, retail dealing without a license, and giving false information to purchase firearms.

Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that between April 7, 2017 and June 20, 2017, Luna illegally bought guns from firearms dealers. Luna and an accomplice then illegally sold the guns to their associates. Law enforcement arrested Luna and Alex Polanco on June 20, 2017 and recovered six firearms.

Luna and Polanco’s arrests followed a joint investigation by Providence Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). During the investigation, law enforcement discovered that Luna used false information to purchase firearms and then scratched off serial numbers on the firearms before he and Polanco sold them to their associates. After his arrest, a search of Luna’s apartment revealed firearms, cocaine, and marijuana.

Polanco pleaded guilty in October 2018 and was sentenced to 10 years with five years to serve at the ACI and the balance suspended with probation.

Providence Police Detectives Eric Greene and Peter Tesseris and Special Agent Chris Jardin of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation into the case. Assistant Attorney General Joseph McBurney prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General.

 

Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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