Major ghost gun trafficker busted in Brooklyn, prosecutors say
One of New York City's most notorious and prolific ghost gun traffickers is in custody, prosecutors claimed Tuesday.
Martin Streich, 21, allegedly used a 3D printer to create guns, including at least one gun that was used in at least eight shootings in Jersey City, according to the Staten Island District Attorney's Office.
An undercover officer helped crack the case by buying eight weapons from Streich, the NYPD said. Those weapons included two AR-15-style rifles and six handguns. The sales took place in Brooklyn and Staten Island over three months, according to prosecutors.
"The sole purpose of these weapons is to evade law enforcement"
Police arrested Streich last week and served a search warrant at his home in Brooklyn. Officers found ghost guns, high-capacity magazines, 385 rounds of ammunition, a flashbang grenade, and switches to turn handguns into machine guns, prosecutors said.
"While Staten Island witnessed record lows in shootings and acts of gun violence last year, the threat posed by ghost guns and DIY machine guns has never been more serious," said Staten Island DA Michael McMahon. "Untraceable and highly dangerous, the sole purpose of these weapons is to evade law enforcement and bypass gun safety laws and regulations. Alleged to have sold at least eight ghost guns in addition to over a dozen 'switches' capable of transforming handguns into functional machine guns, this defendant brazenly manufactured and trafficked countless deadly weapons for profit."
"Over the course of several months, this defendant turned his home into an illegal weapons factory – manufacturing illegal and deadly ghost guns," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. "This criminal operation is now over, and the NYPD will never rest in our efforts to rid our city of these untraceable weapons that only exist to evade law enforcement."
"The growing threat of ghost guns demands action"
"The growing threat of ghost guns demands action, which is why I have proposed common sense measures to block the production of 3D-printed firearms, require all recoveries of these weapons to be reported to the state, and ensure pistols cannot be converted to automatic weapons," Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
"The guns were tested and it came back a ballistic match to a shots-fired job into a place in New Jersey," NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
Those shootings in Jersey City, which took place in 2023 and 2024, were fortunately not fatal.
Streich was indicted on 73 counts, and faces more than 25 years in prison if convicted on the top charge, criminal sale of a firearm in the first degree.
