Villa Park Man Gets 10 Years For Gunrunning

Elmhurst IL

14 December, 2021

5:39 PM

Description

VILLA PARK, IL – A Villa Park man who illegally sold guns to an undercover police officer four times was sentended Tuesday to 10 years in prison, prosecutors said. Bruce Berrier, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of gunrunning, a felony. He must serve at least 75 percent of his sentence, authorities aaid. An investigation by the North Central Narcotics Task Force identified Berrier as a suspect in the illegal sale of guns in DuPage County, according to a news release from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office. In September 2020, an undercover officer contacted Berrier through Snapchat about buying a gun from him, police said. The officer bought a .22-caliber gun and multiple rounds of ammunition from Berrier, according to the release. On three more occasions over the next two months, the officer bought three more guns and ammunition from Berrier, police said. The sales took place in Roselle and Hanover Park, police said. In December 2020, authorities executed a search warrant at Berrier's home, then he was taken into custody, according to the news release. He has remained in the DuPage County Jail since that time. "Armed violence continues to plague our communities, causing citizens to live in fear of becoming the next victim of a violent crime," State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in the news release. "More often than not, the guns used in these crimes are illegally obtained from people such as Mr. Berrier, who seek to line their own pockets at the expense of our communities' safety. Thankfully, the weapons Mr. Berrier sold did not make it into the hands of those who would use them to commit violent crimes."