By MOHAMED FARGHALY | mfarghaly@queensledger.com
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a significant indictment against five individuals accused of operating a gun trafficking ring in Queens. Courtesy of Office of New York Attorney General Letitia James
New York Attorney General Letitia James on July 17 unveiled a 625-count indictment against five individuals accused of running a gun trafficking operation that distributed numerous ghost guns, assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in Queens.
The investigation, spearheaded by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), resulted in the recovery of 86 firearms – including 55 ghost guns and 25 assault weapons – as well as over 90 high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The suspects transported 3D-printed ghost guns assembled in Nassau County and serialized firearms purchased in Indiana into Queens, where they were stored and sold.
The investigation, conducted jointly by state and federal agencies, led to the seizure of 86 firearms, including ghost guns and assault weapons. The investigation led to the seizure of 86 firearms, including ghost guns and assault weapons. Courtesy of Office of New York Attorney General Letitia James
The takedown resulted from a collaborative investigation between OCTF, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York, and the New York City Police Department (NYPD). The probe included controlled firearms purchase operations, covert video surveillance, social media monitoring, and analysis of financial and telephone records.
“When gun traffickers flood neighborhoods with untraceable firearms, they fuel violence that tears communities apart,” said Attorney General James. “This investigation successfully stopped a dangerous gun trafficking operation by removing dozens of ghost guns and assault weapons from our streets. I will continue to use every available resource to stop illegal gun trafficking and protect our communities from the dangers of gun violence. I thank our partners in this investigation for their diligent work to keep New Yorkers safe.”
Launched in late 2023, the investigation focused on the activities of Satveer Saini and his associates: Mateo Castro-Agudelo, Hargeny Fernandez-Gonzalez, Adam Youssef Senhaji-Rivas, and Milanjit Sidhu.
Saini, Fernandez-Gonzalez, and Senhaji-Rivas spent over $27,000 to buy firearms from Indiana, where gun laws are less stringent compared to New York. Early in the investigation, Saini and Castro-Agudelo were stopped for speeding by the Ohio State Highway Patrol in Medina County, Ohio, while transporting weapons from Indianapolis to Queens. This stop led to the recovery of nine unloaded serialized handguns from Saini’s rental car. Subsequently, Fernandez-Gonzalez began paying Sidhu to transport weapons from Indianapolis to Queens.
Fernandez-Gonzalez also procured 3D-printed ghost guns in Nassau County and transported them to Queens for other members of the trafficking ring to sell. Saini, Castro-Agudelo, and Senhaji-Rivas sold the trafficked firearms, high-capacity magazines, and ammunition throughout the investigation.
Saini sold these firearms at various locations in Queens, including Louis C. Moser Playground in Jackson Heights and the parking lot of Queens Center Mall in Elmhurst. Castro-Agudelo and Fernandez-Gonzalez used a garage in Elmhurst to store weapons, at one point concealing twelve firearms – including seven ghost guns – and numerous high-capacity magazines inside a guitar case. Castro-Agudelo utilized the guitar case to transport firearms and ammunition to his customers, with at least one sale occurring outside a smoke shop in Jackson Heights where he worked.
Castro-Agudelo posted pictures of these guns on social media accounts, including a publicly available X (formerly Twitter) account, displaying many of the guns and significant amounts of cash.
The five individuals charged are; Hargeny Fernandez-Gonzalez, 20, of Richmond Hill, Satveer Saini, 20, of East Elmhurst, Adam Youssef Senhaji-Rivas, 20, of Astoria, Milanjit Sidhu, 20, of Greenwood, IN and Mateo Castro-Agudelo, 21, of Long Island City.
Each defendant faces charges of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree, and/or Criminal Possession of a Firearm in the First Degree. If convicted, they face up to 25 years in prison.
“The defendants are accused of amassing a cache of illegal high-powered rifles, handguns, and semiautomatic weapons that could have undoubtedly been used to promote violence and further cause irreparable devastation,” HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo said. “They allegedly displayed sheer disregard for the public’s safety, and placed their own selfish gain above all else. HSI New York’s LaGuardia Airport Border Enforcement Security Task Force has stood at the front lines of combatting the gun violence epidemic, and utilizes every tool and resource in its arsenal to do so. I commend the New York Attorney General’s Office, the NYPD, and our law enforcement partners for ensuring the safety of New Yorkers every day.”
This case is the latest in Attorney General James’ ongoing efforts to stop illegal gun trafficking. In April 2024, she announced the indictment of four individuals for selling ghost guns and other firearms in Central New York. In March 2024, she secured a $7.8 million judgment against gun retailer Indie Guns for illegally selling ghost gun components in New York. In February 2024, she announced the takedowns of a gun trafficking network that sold ghost guns and assault-style rifles and a narcotics trafficking network in Dutchess County.
In December 2023, she and the New York State Police indicted a Manhattan man for trafficking guns and narcotics. In March 2023, she announced the takedown of a ghost gun and narcotics trafficking operation in New York City.
“These charges highlight law enforcement’s relentless efforts to rid our streets of untraceable ghost guns and other illegal firearms, leading to New York City’s ongoing reductions in shootings and homicides this year,” said NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban. “Simply put, our investigators save lives when they disrupt and dismantle the dangerous networks behind the manufacture, transport, and sale of these illicit weapons. I commend and thank the New York Attorney General’s Office and all of the NYPD’s local, state, and federal partners for their hard work on this important case and their continued dedication to our shared public safety mission.”
