Narcotics, firearms investigation leads to arrest
Chester. Two weapons and parts used to manufacture ghost guns were recovered after a three-month joint probe.
| 06 Mar 2023 | 10:29
Police officers recovered two 9mm ghost guns, equipment used to assemble ghost guns, $5,190 in United States currency, as well as ammunition and scales typically used in the packaging and sale of narcotics. (
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Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler and Sheriff Paul Arteta announced on March 3, 2023 that Carlos Martinez, 49, of Chester, was arrested and charged with crimes including Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. Martinez was arraigned and remanded to the Orange County Jail without bail.
The arrest was part of a multi-agency investigation and enforcement action conducted by the Orange County Drug Task Force (OCDTF), Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Special Operations Group, the Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center and Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Over the course of the past three months, police officers conducted an investigation into the sale of narcotics and the illegal possession of firearms in and around the Town of Chester. As a result of the investigation, a judicially authorized search warrant was executed at a residence in the Village of Chester on March 3, 2023. During the execution of the warrant, police officers recovered two 9mm ghost guns, equipment used to assemble ghost guns, $5,190 in United States currency, as well as ammunition and scales typically used in the packaging and sale of narcotics.
“Ghost guns, which by their nature are illegal to possess, fuel and aid violence in the narcotics trade,” District Attorney David M. Hoovler said. “Our law enforcement partners, working together with the dedicated prosecutors in my Office, will continue to pursue offenders who illegally possess these dangerous firearms. I commend the cooperative efforts of the agencies involved in this investigation and arrest. Enforcement actions like this one are intended to keep our streets safe from the scourge of gun violence.”
“This coordinated joint effort between our local county agencies has successfully removed illegally possessed firearms from the streets and out of our community,” Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta said. “We remain committed to providing our Orange County Drug Task- Force with all the resources they need to continue battling illegal gun possession and drug sales in Orange County. I am proud of the work our Investigators have been doing for the citizens of our county. There is no place for illegal guns or drugs in our neighborhoods.”
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Alexis Gregory.