A former member of the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Department has been arrested on charges of weapon and drug trafficking.
By Denise Clay-Murray
A five-year veteran of the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Department has been arrested and charged with weapons and drug trafficking for selling guns, including two that were used in the shooting of five Roxborough High School students.
Samir Ahmad was arrested on Oct. 19 after selling two semi-automatic pistols, ammunition, and 50 grams of methamphetamine to an FBI informant in North Philadelphia for more than $3,000, according to the indictment.
While it wasn’t a part of the indictment, the connection between the illegal guns and the Roxborough High School shooting was revealed when U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero filed a motion to remand Ahmad until his trial. On Sept. 27, five Roxborough High School football players were shot on their way home from practice. One of those players, 14-year-old Nicholas Elizalde, died from his wounds.
In the alleged exchange between Ahmad and the informant, the informant said that he was unlawfully in the United States and could “get deported” for possessing a gun. In response, the indictment alleges, that Ahmad told the informant “You don’t got to worry about none of that.”
Because the informant identified himself as being in the country illegally, Ahmad has been charged with selling firearms to a person illegally in the United States in addition to weapons trafficking.
As a sheriff’s deputy, Ahmad had a duty to the community that was supposed to supersede personal gain. But it didn’t.
“Samir Ahmad abused his authority to the greatest extent possible as a sworn law enforcement,” Romero said. “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 do to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the violence.”
In a statement issued by Sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s office the sheriff said that the gun trafficking was the straw that broke the camel’s back when it came to Ahmad. The deputy, who had been hired in 2018, had been anything but a model employee, according to the statement.
“On October 19, 2022, [Ahmad] was served with a 30-day notice of intent to dismiss for repeated violations of the Philadelphia Sheriff Office directives, policies and procedures,” the statement said. “As always, the Office of the Sheriff will continue to cooperate with local, state, and federal authorities.”
Bilal declined to elaborate on the disciplinary problems prior to his arrest that led to Ahmad’s dismissal and it was not known if Ahmad had an attorney at press time.
Whether or not Ahmad has an attorney was unclear at press time. If convicted, he faces 15 years in prison.
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