D.C. police are working to place into a witness protection program informants who helped in the undercover storefront operation.
Inspector Brian Bray said the informants did good work in spreading the word that an auto body shop in Northeast Washington was buying stolen goods, guns and drugs.
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The informants will be called on to testify against the gun runners and drug dealers, some of who are prone to violence, Bray said. Some informants work for money, but most are people who’ve been caught engaging in criminal activity. Police are looking at the best way to protect the informants, including putting them in a witness protection program.
Within six months, authorities recovered 123 guns and $1 million in narcotics and arrested more than 30 people.
Sgt. Dale Sutherland credited the work of the undercover police officer who led the investigation. The officers came up with a story that their business was in the market for firearms to package and send to Mexico for the drug war there.
“If an undercover is good, he can make a difference. It’s like a used car salesman,” Sutherland said. “The better he is, the more business you get.”
