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Haverhill man charged with illegal possession of 3 guns, tens of thousands of bullets

E-mail|Link|Comments () May 15, 2009 05:06 PM

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A 32-year-old Haverhill man pleaded not guilty today to a variety of firearms charges after he was arrested with 10,000 bullets in his car and 20,000 more were found in his home, along with three high-capacity weapons and a stash of cash, prosecutors said.

Keni Garcia was ordered held on $500,000 bail at his arraignment before Haverhill District Court Judge Patricia Dowling. Another hearing was set for June 12.

Garcia was arrested Thursday after he bought 10,000 .38-caliber bullets in New Hampshire and then traveled to Haverhill with his two small daughters, prosecutors said in a statement. Investigators found the additional bullets, the pistols, and $25,000 in cash after Garcia's girlfriend authorized a search of their residence.

Garcia, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, had been scheduled to become a US citizen today, but found himself in criminal court instead.

Police believe Garcia may have been shipping the weapons to the Dominican Republic, said Steve O'Connell, spokesman for the Essex district attorney.

Garcia also had recently displayed a large sum of cash in an effort to purchase 55,000 rounds of ammunition in New Hampshire, prosecutors said. He is not licensed to possess any type of firearm in Massachusetts.

He is facing charges of illegal possession of ammunition, three counts of possession of a high-capacity firearm, and three counts of illegal storage of a firearm.

Garcia's lawyer, Socrates de la Cruz, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and state and local police.