Cahokia Heights teenager faces charges of trafficking weapons from China
A Cahokia Heights teenager has been accused of participating in a scheme to transport machine gun conversion devices — more commonly known as Glock switches — from China to St. Clair County.
According to an indictment in the U.S. Court for the Southern District, Carlos Akins, 19, is facing one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun and one count of transporting prohibited weapons without a license. If convicted, Akins could receive 15 years in federal prison and face fines of up to $250,000, according to a release from the federal prosecutor’s office.
Akins has been appointed a public defender.
“Glock switches have exploded in popularity in recent years, and federal law enforcement agencies are working together to remove the devices from our communities,” U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe stated in the press release. “Our office stands ready to prosecute the individuals responsible for trafficking Glock switches into southern Illinois.”
According to court documents, U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Chicago intercepted a package of 10 Glock switches from China in route to an address in East St. Louis for Akins in December 2022.
Illinois State Police was notified of the package and troopers partnered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to seize it. After his arrest, Akins gave law enforcement consent to search his bedroom. Officers located a Glock with a purple switch, an extended magazine and an additional cell phone, according to the release.
During an interview, the defendant told police he ordered Glock switches from an app and had sold nine switches to customers for a total of $2,000, the release stated. In January 2023, Homeland Security Investigations seized another package of 10 Glock switches addressed to Akins.
In total, Akins is accused of ordering 30 Glock switches from China.
Under federal law, glock switches are defined as a machine gun because the relatively simple and small conversion devices can turn semi-automatic pistols into automatic weapons.
“Conversion devices or switches that allow a handgun to become fully automatic are becoming more common and the Illinois State Police Public Safety Enforcement Group is committed to stopping the proliferation of these devices,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly.
ATF and the state police are contributing to the investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Arshi is prosecuting the case.
This story was originally published June 5, 2023 at 12:33 PM.