Joint Investigation by AG’s Organized Crime Task Force, NYPD, NYSP, and DEA Charges Three Individuals with Selling 47 Firearms, Firearm Components, Ammunition, and Accessories
Bust is the Latest in AG’s Efforts to Crack Down on Gun Traffickers and Get Guns off of New York’s Streets
New York – New York Attorney General Letitia James and the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force on December 1st, announced a 438-count indictment, charging three individuals from a gun trafficking operation that illegally sold 47 firearms, including ghost guns which were shipped to New York and Pennsylvania from various online retailers before being assembled.
The indictment, unsealed in Queens County Supreme Court today, charges Devon Smith-Martin, Fritz Pierre-Louis, and Hakeem Solomon with trafficking numerous ghost guns — weapons without serial numbers or other identifying markers — including assault weapons, machine guns, and semiautomatic pistols. The gun trafficking operation also sold rapid-fire modification devices, silencers, high-capacity magazines, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. In total, the investigation led to the recovery of 57 firearms, 51 of which were ghost guns.
“I will not allow our streets to be flooded with ghost guns, assault rifles, or other weapons of war,” said Attorney General James. “Giving criminals easy access to illegal and untraceable guns is a threat to all New Yorkers and a danger that my office will not tolerate. High-capacity ammunition magazines and rapid-fire modification devices can easily turn firearms into mass-murder machines. I thank our partners in law enforcement for their support and coordination as we work to protect the safety and well-being of all New Yorkers.”
