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Task force stops ‘ghost gun’ trafficking ring in Queens after 6-month investigation
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Dec 1, 2022
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Courtesy Attorney General Letitia James
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Dec 1, 2022
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Three people face charges in connection with their roles in an alleged gun trafficking ring operating out of Queens and Suffolk counties that illegally sold 47 firearms, Attorney General Letitia James and the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force said on Thursday.
The 438-count indictment, unsealed in Queens County Supreme Court, charged Suffolk County residents Devon Smith-Martin and Fritz Pierre-Louis, as well as South Carolina resident Hakeem Solomon, with trafficking numerous “ghost guns”” in New York and Pennsylvania. Their attorney information was not immediately available.
The charges were a result of a six-month joint investigation involving James’ office and the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, which alleged that Smith-Martin and Pierre-Louis ordered the ghost gun components from out-of-state online retailers to an address in Pennsylvania. Smith-Martin would then traffic the parts and accessories to New York for assembly and sale, officials said.
“I will not allow our streets to be flooded with ghost guns, assault rifles or other weapons of war,” James said. “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.”
In total, the investigation led to the recovery of 57 firearms, 51 of which were ghost guns including assault weapons, machine guns and semiautomatic pistols, James said.
Law enforcement officials call homemade firearms like the one that Smith-Martin and Pierre-Louis, and Solomon were selling ghost guns because they’re usually sold in parts and typically not marked with a serial number, making them difficult to track. Last year, New York passed two laws made it illegal for anyone other than a licensed gunsmith to possess or sell a ghost gun or unfinished firearm parts in the state.
Earlier this year, James ordered dozens of retailers to stop marketing and selling ghost guns to New Yorker. Both she and Mayor Eric Adams have sued several companies accused of illegally selling gun parts. A few retailers have already settled those lawsuits and agreed to stop doing business with New York City residents.
The three defendants were charged with various counts of criminal sale of a firearm, criminal sale of a ghost gun, criminal possession of a weapon, and conspiracy for their participation in the illegal gun trafficking operation, authorities said.
“Today’s charges show that some criminals believe they can operate with impunity, in plain sight — the NYPD and our law enforcement partners exist to shatter that notion,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said in a statement. “I commend and thank everyone involved in this extremely important joint investigation. And I assure New Yorkers that our combined efforts will remain precisely focused on holding fully accountable anyone who peddles illegal guns on our streets.”
The investigation was part of an effort by various New York officials and agencies to crackdown on the distribution of illegal firearms over the last
Samantha Max contributed reporting.
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