By Daniel Rivera, Editorial Intern
On Feb. 27, the Los Angeles Police Department Harbor Division held a press conference on its multi-agency seizure of 82 firearms and drug bust. The day before, the LAPD announced that it seized 82 firearms and large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamines. The seizure came after months of investigating members of Eastside Wilmas gang members.
Out of the 82 guns seized, ghost guns made up 40 of the firearms on the table. Ghost guns are in-part or wholly manufactured by a 3D printer and assembled at home without being tracked or linked to a person. The other guns on the table were either illegally modified to shoot fully automatic or were stolen firearms.
The seizure was a multi-agency affair that included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in conjunction with the police department that established a violent crime task force to find and seize these weapons.
“It is a significant problem right now and the unfortunate part is we’re seeing it grow,” said Capt. Brent McGuyre after the press conference. He explained how prevalent ghosts guns have become in crime.
“The number of crimes have remained flat or gone down,” McGuyre said. “What we found is there is an increase in robberies involving firearms.”