Illegal businesses dealing in ghost guns, assault weapons and drugs have been broken up in Dutchess County, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James.
A 154-count indictment unsealed in Dutchess County Court alleges that four defendants illegally trafficked in firearms, including ghost guns, assault weapons and high-capacity magazines for ammunition. A second indictment, this one with 63 counts, charges that seven defendants trafficked thousands of counterfeit oxycodone pills containing the deadly drug fentanyl.
“The individuals arrested today operated a dangerous network that trafficked untraceable ghost guns and flooded New York communities with fentanyl,” James said. “Today’s takedowns send a clear message that we will not allow anyone to fuel the epidemics of gun violence and drug addiction with their illegal activities. This operation was made possible through my office’s partnerships with state and local law enforcement, and I thank the New York State Police and our other partners for their hard work to bring these individuals to justice. I will continue to use my office to protect the safety of all New Yorkers.”
The investigation into the firearms trafficking network led to the recovery of 31 firearms including 14 AR-style ghost gun rifles, three AR-style rifles, a ghost gun pistol, a defaced Glock-21 pistol, high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
The 63-count narcotics trafficking indictment, also unsealed in Dutchess County Court, contains counts for various felony narcotics offenses, including criminal sale of a controlled substance in the first degree, a class A2 felony, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Those charged in the two indictments include:
Muayad Qader a/k/a/ “JUNIOR”, 34 years old, Poughkeepsie; Joseph Silverman a/k/a/ “JOEY”, 30 years old, Port St. Lucie, Florida; Louis Gonzalez, 53 years old, LaGrangeville; Jason Knapp, 43 years old, Verbank; Isaiah Atkins, 27 years old, Poughkeepsie; Christopher Evans, 34 years old, Poughkeepsie; Stephen Gary, 39 years old, LaGrangeville; Curtis Holland, 32 years old, Poughkeepsie; Aaron Steppe, 29 years old, Poughkeepsie; Angel Williams, 24 years old, Poughkeepsie.
