Police find stash of untraceable 3D-printed firearms - GHOST GUNS

Police arrested a Caparo man after an early-morning raid resulted in the discovery of 3D-printed high-powered rifles, called “ghost guns.”

Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher ,at the weekly police press briefing, said these guns have no serial numbers or other identifying marks, making them harder to track down.

“Ghost guns are made using readily available 3D printing technology, making it challenging for traditional control measures to detect and prevent production,” Harewood-Christopher said.

Police said a specialist unit got information that a man operating out of Todd’s Road, Caparo, was supplying guns to criminal groups.

Police, after investigating, discovered that the man had been manufacturing “ghost guns,” firearms which were made during 3D printing machines and are hard to trace by police.

Police raided the house at about 4 am on Wednesday and seized firearms, ammunition, projectiles, a 3D printer and a computer system.

A female suspect was also arrested.

“The proliferation of illegal firearms poses significant risks to safety and law enforcement,” the CoP said. “The lack of control in the production and distribution of these weapons could result in an increase in violent crime and contribute to the empowerment of criminal organisations.”

Harewood-Christopher promised specialised units would continue to work to meet the emerging threat.

A Caribbean firearms study released in April said most ghost guns used incomplete parts of firearms along with 3D printed components to manufacture guns.

The report said that while the evidence available suggested these types of guns represent a small percentage of illicit firearms in the region, the true number is unknown because of under-reporting and other data limitations.

The report, however, suggested there should be concern because of the threats it poses to traditional regulation methods.

“Advancements in techniques for producing PMFs (privately made firearms) are primarily driven by a large, centralised online community of amateur gunsmiths who are continuously refining methods for creating functional PMFs,” the report said.

“Accurately and consistently identifying ghost guns, 3D printed firearms and other PMFs require regular training on firearm identification.”

Also on Wednesday, a police statement said investigations were continuing into the seizure of a submachine gun, magazines and ammunition in Sangre Grande on Monday.

Police said members of the Eastern Division Task Force and Eastern Division Gang and Intelligence Unit raided the homes of “priority offenders in the area as part of ongoing gang and crime suppression exercises.”

The officers raided an abandoned building where they found a Mac 11 submachine gun with two extended magazines and 31 rounds of 9mm, two rounds of 5.56 and one round of .380 ammunition, a black ski mask and a pair of gloves.

Investigations are continuing into all the finds.