FBI's 'Operation Black Phoenix' Arrests 18 In Drug, 'Ghost Gun' Investigation
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Eighteen people were arrested Tuesday as part of an FBI-led operation that also swept up drugs and five AR-15-style "ghost guns."
Seven federal indictments charged 25 people as part of Operation Black Phoenix, according to the Department of Justice. Authorities arrested 18 people Tuesday morning, four were already in custody, and three remain at large.
According to federal officials, about 28 pounds of methamphetamine, about a quarter-pound of cocaine and crack cocaine and 16 firearms were seized during the investigation. One of the indictments allege a series of methamphetamine sales by the pound.
Two of the indictments allege illegal gun sales, federal officials said. Two men from Ontario, 53-year-old Dau Quay Duong and 47-year-old Christopher Nguyen, have been charged with illegal firearm sales for allegedly selling a total of five AR-15-type rifles with no make, model or serial number, weapons known as ghost guns. In another indictment, 47-year-old Jonathon Domingo Go of Torrance was charged with selling two .40-caliber pistols and 5.56-caliber assault pistols that were also untraceable.
The seven indictments carry a variety of drug charges. Most of the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, and some will face decades more prison time because of their lengthy criminal histories.