8 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 16, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Queens DA, NYPD promise to hunt ‘ghost’ gun dealers in latest bust
BY DEAN MOSES
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Ghost gun dealers across New York City
keep getting busted.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz
and NYPD offi cials say they remain committed
to preventing “ghost” guns from
haunting the city’s streets in the latest
sting announcement Th ursday, Dec. 9.
“Ghost” guns are fi rearms that can be
sold in pieces and then assembled to create
deadly weapons that are naturally diffi
cult to track due to the absence of serial
numbers. Part of what’s been dubbed as
the Polymer Pipeline due to the plastic of
which they ghost guns are made, several
dealers have fl ooded the city with these
weapons in 2020.
Th e phantom fi rearms have been connected
to gang shootouts such as one in
Midtown Manhattan on Nov. 16, where
three people were shot outside of a recording
studio.
However, the NYPD and DA Katz have
busted ghost gun dealers again in what
marks the fi ft h such takedown since August
of this year — “and we will not stop,” Katz
vowed..
“Using traditional investigative techniques,
accurate intelligence gathering and
analysis, we are continuing a relentless pursuit
of those who think they can get away
with bringing gun parts into our borough,”
Katz said at a press conference inside her
offi ce on Dec. 9.
Twenty-year-old Chaz McMillan of Fresh
Meadows was an alleged dealer of these
w e a p o n s ,
stockpiling numerous
handguns, assault
weapons and
shotguns.
Charged with multiple counts of criminal
possession of a weapon, criminal
sale of a fi rearm and many other charges,
McMillan faces up to 25 years behind bars
if convicted.
Investigators retrieved a total of 25 “ghost”
guns from this suspect alone, including semiautomatic
pistols and the aforementioned
assault weapons, in addition
to 31 large-capacity
magazines, 670
rounds of ammunition
and several parts
used to construct the
weapons.
“Th e individuals
building, trafficking
and
using these
illegal selfmade
firearms
no longer
need to
travel the
iron pipeline
from
down South
to
Photos by Dean Moses
acquire fi rearms and then to distribute them
in our community. Now with the stroke of a
keyboard the polymer pipeline allows traffi
ckers to build these weapons from the
comfort of their own home,” Katz said.
Katz stressed that while the ghost guns
have been an issue her offi ce has combated
for a few years, it has steadily been on the
rise. Individuals like McMillan have easily
used technology to create the deadly, lightweight
weapons from their own homes.
“I want to be clear: Th is was in an apartment
building. Th is was an apartment building
with people living right next store just
like you can build them in the basement
of a home. You have no idea that they are
being built and that’s what makes them all
the more dangerous and diffi cult to fi nd,”
Katz said.
Katz reiterated that the handful of successful
“ghost” gun takedowns made since
August are due to the steadfast eff orts of the
NYPD and Queens DA’s offi ce.
“We will continue a relentless pursuit of
those who think that they can get away with
bringing these tools of death to our communities.
We will fi nd you. We will dismantle
the ring and we will prosecute you and we
will dismantle the polymer pipeline,” Katz
warned.
Inspector Courtney Nilan, Intelligence Team leader, speaks during the Dec. 9 press conference.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz showcases an assault weapon.
Investigators retrieved a total of
25 “ghost” guns.
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