BUFFALO — A Niagara Falls father and son are in federal custody on charges they engaged in firearms trafficking, including the illegal transfer of a machine gun.
Dustin Lee McCarthy Sr., 43, and his son, Dayzon Davon McCarthy, 21, were picked up in a series of Wednesday night raids in the Falls. They were arraigned on criminal complaints Thursday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Buffalo.
McCarthy Sr., faces a single count of trafficking in firearms, while his son faces the same count and a charge of illegal transfer of a machine gun. They were ordered held without bail by U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Roemer pending a detention hearing set for Wednesday.
Agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATFE), along with investigators from the Niagara County Drug Task Force (DTF) and detectives with the Falls Police Narcotics & Intelligence Division (NID) fanned out across the city at around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday to execute three search warrants issued in connection with what was described, at that time, as “an investigation into firearms dealing.”
The nature of the charges led to a heavily armed law enforcement presence at the three targeted locations at 1311 Willow Ave., 1802 Linwood Ave., and 1701 18th St. Members of the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office and Falls Police Emergency Response Teams assisted in the search warrant executions.
Agents and investigators reportedly recovered a number of firearms and quantities of suspected narcotics, including Fentanyl, at the three Falls addresses.
In affidavits attached to the criminal complaints against the McCarthys, an ATFE special agent said investigators made undercover purchases of five firearms from the father and son.
On June 23, the special agent said, a confidential informant purchased a Taurus G2S .9-mm pistol from Dustin McCarthy for $700. Three days prior to that, the agent said an informant met with Dayzon McCarthy and purchased a Glock Model 44 .22-caliber pistol with what was described as a “back plate auto sear, also known as a Glock Switch or machine gun conversion device” attached to it.
The special agent affidavits also outline three other firearms purchases from Dayzon McCarthy, including the sale of a Beretta Model 21A Lady Beretta on June 28. The informant also reportedly bought a Davis Industries Model P380 .380-caliber pistol on July 3 and a “Ghost Gun” with a machine gun conversion device on Aug. 12.
Neither of the McCarthy’s are strangers to local law enforcement. Dustin McCarthy has state-level felony drug convictions from 2004 and 2011. McCarthy is also on pre-trial release in relation to a pending federal narcotics trafficking charge.
Dayzon McCarthy has a felony conviction for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in Niagara County Court in 2021. He was sentenced as a youthful offender in that case and served a two-year state prison term.