Four Akwesasne Residents — Conrad Oakes, 25, Tayson Terrance, 24, Ranonkwatseronhawi Gibson, 22, and Montana Cook, 27 — Plead Guilty in New Hampshire to Conspiracy to Commit Straw Purchasing of Firearms and Conspiracy to Traffic Firearms, in a Case in Which the ATF and Homeland Security Investigations Identified About 51 Firearms Potentially Trafficked From New Hampshire to Canada (October 13, 2026)

Four residents of the Akwesasne Mohawk territory, which spans the border between New York State and Quebec, have pleaded guilty in the United States to two federal firearms conspiracy counts each. Conrad Oakes, 25, Tayson Terrance, 24, Ranonkwatseronhawi Gibson, 22, and Montana Cook, 27, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit straw purchasing of firearms and conspiracy to traffic firearms, according to a release published Friday, October 9, 2026 by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire, which United States Attorney Erin Creegan announced. The release says the pleas were entered between September 26 and October 9, 2026; it does not give a separate date for each man’s plea. CTV News Montreal and CP24 carried the account in Canada on Tuesday, October 13 at 10:34 a.m. EDT. The United States Attorney’s Office says the conspiracy moved illegally obtained guns from New Hampshire through Akwesasne into Canada, and also trafficked narcotics and people into the United States. The release names no criminal organization, street gang or outlaw motorcycle club.

The Two Counts and the Sentencing Dates

Each of the four men pleaded guilty to the same pair of counts as the release words them: conspiracy to commit straw purchasing of firearms, and conspiracy to traffic firearms. The release states a separate sentencing date for each man. Gibson and Cook are to be sentenced on February 16, 2027, Terrance on February 19, 2027 and Oakes on February 23, 2027. CP24 reports the four are expected to be sentenced in February 2027.

The release sets out the maximum penalties. Conspiracy to commit straw purchasing of firearms carries up to 25 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to five years of supervised release. Conspiracy to traffic firearms carries up to 15 years, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release. The release says sentences are determined by a federal judge under the United States Sentencing Guidelines.

A Gun Recovered in Montreal

According to the release, the investigation began with a firearm recovered in Montreal during a kidnapping investigation. The serial number had been obliterated and was restored, and the gun traced to a purchase made by Dustin Tuttle in New Hampshire. The release says the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) recovered it, and CP24 says the same.

The release says a second gun, bought by Melissa Longe from a dealer in Winchester, New Hampshire, was found after an attempted shooting in a parking lot in Montreal.

Jet Skis and Cornwall Island

Investigators say one of the defendants used jet skis to smuggle contraband, including straw purchased firearms, from the New York side of Akwesasne to Cornwall Island, where a resident ferried it through a checkpoint into Canada. The release describes “one defendant” in that passage and does not say which of the accused it means, and it does not name the Cornwall Island resident. CP24 attributes the jet-ski account to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The release says the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations identified about 51 firearms potentially trafficked from New Hampshire to Canada by way of Vermont and Akwesasne, and that at least ten of those were recovered at crime scenes in Canada. CP24 words the first figure as “at least 51”; the release says “approximately 51” and “potentially trafficked”.

The Earlier Pleas

The release says Oakes, Terrance, Gibson and Cook were among eight defendants indicted in May 2026, and that five other defendants — Justin Jackson, Melissa Longe, Dustin Tuttle, Caleb Wilcott and Doug Mulligan — had previously pleaded guilty to firearms offenses arising from the investigation. Four plus five is nine, and the release does not say whether any of the five were among the eight. CP24 reports that five co-conspirators had already pleaded guilty.

Each of the four men has pleaded guilty to the two counts set out above and none has been sentenced; sentencing dates are in February 2027. The release says Jackson, Longe, Tuttle, Wilcott and Mulligan have previously pleaded guilty; anyone else mentioned, including the unnamed Cornwall Island resident, is presumed innocent and has not been named as charged. The allegations described are those of the United States Attorney’s Office. The release names no criminal organization, street gang or outlaw motorcycle club, and none is asserted here.