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U.S. Attorney: 3 Gang Members Indicted On Firearms Charges

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Three men will head to trial on charges of illegally possessing a firearm, and are accused of involvement with two violent gangs, according to court documents from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger says Robert W. Anderson, 26, Robert L. Frelix, 24, and Shane J. Jackson, 23, are members of two closely associated, Minneapolis-based street gangs: the Taliban gang and the Young N' Thuggin' (YNT) gang. All three are charged with conspiracy to possess firearms and ammunition. Anderson and Frelix are charged with possession of firearms and ammunition by a felon, while Jackson is charged with possession of firearms by a felon.

According to the indictment, all three men participated in gang-related activities -- like trafficking illegal drugs and participating in armed robberies and thefts -- from June 2011 through at least June 2015. The charges say they also used firearms with the gang, but all three have felony offenses that make that illegal.

Authorities say the conspiracy to possess firearms is part of an ongoing gang dispute between the Taliban/YNT gangs with their rivals -- the 1-9 Dipset and Stick Up Boys. The U.S. Attorney's office says Frelix was involved in a shootout near 24th Street and Aldrich Avenue in north Minneapolis earlier this week, where police recovered two pistols.

Detention hearings for all three defendants are set for Monday morning.

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