TRENTON, N.J. (WCBS 880) — Three men were indicted Tuesday on charges relating to the trafficking of untraceable “ghost guns” into New Jersey, acting attorney general Andrew Bruck announced.
Eduardo T. Lazo Jr., 26; Juan Enrique Fernandez, 29; Ericknell Rivera-Mercado, 31, allegedly sold 15 assault rifle- and handgun-style ghost guns in New Jersey between May and August of this year, prosecutors said.
The trio also allegedly sold nine illegal large-capacity magazines and one silencer.
Ghost guns are homemade weapons that are put together with easy-to-assemble parts but have no serial number registered with a federally licensed manufacturer. Advocates and officials have worked to rein in the sale of parts or more tightly regulate the industry to crack down on gun violence across the country.
“Indictments like this are one part of our comprehensive strategy to combat gun violence and dismantle the criminal networks that funnel illegal firearms into New Jersey,” Bruck said in a statement. “We are committed to keeping New Jerseyans safe by prosecuting criminals contributing to the flow of these dangerous weapons into our communities.”
The men allegedly would transport the partially assembled firearms from Pennsylvania and then sell them fully assembled in Camden.
Prosecutors believe Lazo organized the trafficking ring, with Fernandez and Rivera-Mercado, both of Philadelphia, assisting him in the transport and sales.
The three were arrested on Aug. 16. Investigators executing a subsequent search warrant at the locations in Camden and Philadelphia where they allegedly assembled the weapons recovered four more ghost handguns — one of which was fully automatic ‚ as well as another fully assembled automatic assault rifle, prosecutors said.
Over a 12-month window from last October to this past October, law enforcement agencies recovered over 200 illegal ghost guns in New Jersey, according to Bruck’s office. Gov. Phil Murphy back in 2018 made it illegal to buy, manufacture, possess, or sell ghost guns in the state.
“Ghost gun traffickers are fueling the violence and death associated with gun crimes while equipping criminals with the means to get away with it,” Colonel Patrick J. Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said. These weapons are virtually impossible to trace by law enforcement after the commission of a crime.”
Related
