A Philadelphia sheriff's deputy is charged with selling methamphetamine and guns to a confidential FBI informant, the U.S. Attorney's office for eastern Pennsylvania said Thursday.
The suspect, Samir Ahmad, was hired by the city Sheriff's Office in February 2018. The current sheriff, Rochelle Bilal, said in a statement after his arrest was announced that Ahmad joined prior to Bilal taking over the elected office.
“As alleged, Samir Ahmad abused his authority – to the greatest extent possible – as a sworn law enforcement officer,” U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said in a statement. “The defendant was allegedly illegally selling firearms on the street to at least one person who was not permitted to possess them, adding fuel to the already-incendiary fire of deadly gun violence in the City of Philadelphia. Working with our law enforcement partners, we are doing all that we can to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the violence.”
In court documents, prosecutors allege two of the guns Ahmad sold to an FBI informant on Oct. 13 were involved in the Roxborough High School shooting after a football scrimmage that killed 14-year-old Nicolas Elizalde.
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Gun Violence
"Both of the firearms the defendant sold on October 13, 2022 were traced by law enforcement as being used in a deadly shooting in Roxborough about two weeks prior," according to a court filing against Ahmad. "On September 27, 2022, at least four individuals opened fire on a group of juveniles leaving a football scrimmage at Roxborough High School in Philadelphia. Five juveniles were shot, and one was fatally wounded."
It is not immediately clear if Ahmad has an attorney.
Thursday afternoon, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw released a statement on Ahmad's arrest.
“The charges against the defendant, a former Philadelphia Sheriff’s Deputy, are incredibly disturbing and allege outrageous conduct that stands in stark contrast with everything society expects from law enforcement officers," she wrote. "While the illegal street sale of any firearm is reprehensible in and of itself, the investigation into how these particular weapons came into the possession of the defendant is still underway. The Philadelphia Police Department will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure that all of those responsible for this heinous crime are taken into custody."
