SAN JOSE – Authorities on Friday announced the arrest of a South Bay resident on suspicion of trafficking in ghost guns.
The suspect was taken into custody on Dec. 18 and booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on charges of manufacturing, selling and discharging illegal firearms, San Jose Police Department spokesperson Stacie Shih said in a news release.
The investigation kicked off in late October when detectives came across a social media account that was being used to buy and sell illegal firearms, many of which were privately made, according to Shih.
Detectives identified the suspect as a 19-year-old San Jose man and discovered he was also importing high-capacity magazines from Florida and Nevada to sell in San Jose, Shih said.
To entice potential buyers, the suspect took videos of himself shooting the guns in East Palo Alto and San Jose, including open fields and a school campus, according to Shih.
A photo posted to the social media account also showed the suspect brandishing a firearm at a mall in San Jose, Shih said.
Anyone with information related to the case can contact Detective Epperson at 408-277-4161 or 4554@sanjoseca.gov.