Federal prosecutors say a small Atlanta-area crew helped fuel a steady flow of guns up I-85 and I-95, moving at least 68 firearms out of north Georgia and into Maryland and Washington, D.C. One of those weapons, a Micro Draco pistol that is effectively a mini assault-style firearm, allegedly surfaced last May at a Maryland high school, loaded with 17 rounds.
Prosecutors say the case is a textbook example of how guns bought legally in one state can quickly end up in the middle of violent crime hundreds of miles away.
Mikellen Clements, Kemith Calvin and Laytayah Gross are charged in a multi-state federal indictment with firearms trafficking and conspiracy to commit firearms trafficking. Clements faces 42 additional counts for allegedly lying on gun-purchase forms, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
Prosecutors say the alleged scheme relied on straw purchases at federally licensed dealers across north Georgia. The indictment, filed on March 16, accuses the trio of helping arrange dozens of gun buys in Georgia that later turned up in the Mid-Atlantic.
"These defendants allegedly coordinated dozens of fraudulent gun purchases in Georgia and directly or indirectly put guns in the hands of out-of-state criminals," U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors say the purchases took place from May 2023 through August 2024. Investigators have already recovered at least 15 of the trafficked firearms in the Maryland and D.C. area, according to the indictment, including some guns tied to suspected drug-trafficking and drive-by shootings.
How Investigators Say The Operation Ran
According to federal authorities, the alleged pipeline looked familiar. Prosecutors say the defendants used straw buyers to obtain guns from licensed dealers in Georgia, then moved the weapons out of state, a pattern ATF agents say they encounter again and again.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF field offices have previously traced similar trafficking schemes that began with bulk purchases in Georgia and ended with guns later recovered in the Washington region. ATF records document earlier prosecutions that tracked dozens of firearms from Georgia into the D.C. area.
Court Status And Next Steps
Two of the defendants, Laytayah Gross and Kemith Calvin, have already entered not guilty pleas in federal court, according to CBS News Atlanta. Clements is being held in Washington, D.C., on separate local charges and is expected to be arraigned in the federal case at a later date.
The indictment consists of allegations, and all three defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in court.
Why Prosecutors Are Leaning On Federal Charges
Federal authorities say cases like this are exactly why gun-trafficking statutes exist. By targeting alleged middlemen and organizers, prosecutors aim to shut down the interstate pipelines that move firearms from legal markets into the hands of people who use them in violent crimes elsewhere.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and ATF describe cross-state trafficking as a regional enforcement priority. They say coordinated federal charges make it easier to connect recovered guns to broader conspiracies, seize weapons tied to multiple investigations and bring charges that reach beyond a single crime scene.
Officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and ATF say they plan to update the public as the case moves through court. Local law enforcement partners have urged anyone with information about the alleged scheme to contact investigators.
