ATTLEBORO — Two metropolis males have been sentenced to 3 years in jail for possessing a so-called ghost gun and different prices associated to a drive-by taking pictures investigation in Attleboro.
Mark Socia, 21, and Jarrel Rocha, 20, had been sentenced final week in Windfall County Superior Courtroom, Rhode Island Lawyer Common Peter Neronha mentioned.
The 2 males pleaded responsible to possession of a ghost gun, possession of a firearm whereas delivering a managed substance, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana, Neronha mentioned.
The boys had been arrested March 2, 2021, after the Rhode Island State Police Violent Fugitives Process Pressure and Attleboro police raided an condominium in Central Falls.
Throughout the raid, police seized a ghost gun, a semi-automatic handgun, a revolver, a major amount of money, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia, Neronha mentioned.
A ghost gun is privately constructed from elements or produced by a 3-D printer. It has no serial quantity, making it untraceable.
On the time of the raid, Socia was needed for his alleged position in a drive-by taking pictures on Feb. 18, 2021, at a house on Richardson Avenue. A person’s automotive was struck with a bullet however nobody was injured.
Socia has pleaded harmless within the case and weapons and assault prices are pending in Fall River Superior Courtroom.
Throughout a listening to July 25 in Windfall County Superior Courtroom, Socia was sentenced to 3 years of an eight-year jail time period within the Grownup Correctional Establishment in Cranston with the steadiness suspended with probation.
Rocha was sentenced to 3 years of a 10-year sentence with the steadiness suspended with probation.
“Weapons with out serial numbers — ghost weapons — have change into the weapon of selection for shooters and drug sellers as a result of they’re untraceable and don’t require a background test to buy. They are often simply assembled from kits purchased on the web, at minimal value,” Neronha mentioned in an announcement.
“Make no mistake, these unlawful weapons threaten the protection of all Rhode Islanders. I’m grateful to the Rhode Island State Police for excellent work on this case and continued partnership in working to maintain Rhode Islanders protected,” Neronha mentioned.
From Rocha’s bed room, investigators seized a 9mm Polymer80 semi-automatic pistol ghost gun, $6,112 in money, and marijuana, in line with Neronha.
In Socia’s bed room, investigators discovered a Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic pistol, a Smith & Wesson .38 particular revolver, $674 in money, marijuana, marijuana edibles, powdered marijuana, and drug paraphernalia, he mentioned.
Since Rhode Island outlawed such weapons two years in the past, Neronha mentioned his workplace has prosecuted almost 50 circumstances involving ghost weapons, most of them involving Polymer80 9 mm Glock-style handguns with out serial numbers constructed from kits produced by a single Nevada firm.