NJ iron worker charged with smuggling gun silencers from China

CARLSTADT — A borough man has been charged with importing illegal firearm suppressors from China.

Matthew W. Moran, 48, was busted at his home on Thursday after federal Homeland Security investigators said he had purchased the illegal devices from a Chinese company that shipped the contraband through the mail to his home.

The suppressors, or silencers, are used to muffle the sound and flash of firearm discharges. In New Jersey, one of eight states that outlaws suppressors, possession is a fourth-degree crime.

Bergen County prosecutors said police armed with a search warrant went to Moran's home after he accepted a shipment of silencers. There, police confiscated firearms, high-capacity magazines, thousands of rounds of ammunition and police body armor.

Moran, who works as an iron worker in New York City, was released with a court date. New Jersey 101.5 did not know Saturday whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5. Send him news tips: Call 609-775-9793 or email sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com.