New York Attorney General Letitia James, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force announced on Wednesday the takedown of a firearm and drug trafficking operation that illegally sold guns, including ghost guns and assault weapons, in New York City and Westchester County. The 123-count indictment charges Eduardo Hernandez, Jose Garcia, and Euclides Castillo with trafficking 19 firearms, including 12 ghost guns, six high-capacity magazines, and more than 560 grams of cocaine, with a street value of approximately $25,000.
Wednesday’s takedown was the result of a 16-month joint investigation between the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) and the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of agents and officers from the New York City Police Department (NYPD), New York State Police (NYSP), and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
“Guns are one of the greatest threats to public safety, and we must do all we can to stop the flow of these weapons into our communities,” said Attorney General James. “Untraceable ghost guns present a new and growing risk to our safety, but this takedown makes clear that we will not allow anyone to make a business selling ghost guns and assault weapons in our state. From stopping the companies that sell these dangerous ghost gun kits, to defending our state’s commonsense gun laws, and going after gun traffickers, we will continue to address the gun violence crisis from every angle. I thank our partners in law enforcement for their invaluable support in this investigation, and for their continued commitment to protecting the safety of all New Yorkers.”