AG: Ex-Smith & Wesson worker among 3 arrested in illegal trafficking of guns and drugs
Three people have been arrested on a 123-count indictment for illegally trafficking guns and drugs — including one man who used to work in the assembly department of firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, according to the state attorney general, Letitia James.
The contraband was sold in Westchester and southeast Queens, most sourced from Massachusetts, she said.
Among the 19 firearms recovered, 12 were so-called ghost guns, James said Wednesday at a news conference in Manhattan.
"The majority of these guns are ghost guns — unserialized, untraceable," James said. (None of the guns in the case were made by Smith & Wesson, she said, but the ex-employee, during at least one sale, gave instructions on how to compile and operate the purchased guns.)
The case dates to March 2021, she said.
The defendants, Eduardo Hernandez, Jose Garcia, and Euclides Castillo, either sold or were involved in the sale of the guns and drugs to “members of the investigative team” James said.
“These dangerous weapons were being peddled in neighborhoods where families live and children play."
Smith & Wesson didn't respond to a message for comment. The defendants couldn't be reached for comment.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
