The guys suspected of being part of the ring are identified as Tony Ho, Rithga Ngoy, and Michael Nguyen. Three individuals from Montgomery County have been charged with gun trafficking after authorities say they unearthed a “ghost guns ring” that manufactured and marketed firearms and firearm components, some of which were imported from China. On Wednesday, Kevin Steele, the district attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland, discussed the case.
The investigation began after a shipment of silencers from China was confiscated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at JFK International Airport in New York. Steele’s office reported that the package had been sent to Ho’s residence in Hatfield. Ho boasted in those conversations, “I make the ghostie guns,” and called some of his customers “hood.” Investigators allegedly obtained 15 records of allegedly unlawful gun purchases dating back to March 2020 from the defendants’ private communications, which are detailed in a 60-page criminal complaint.
According to locals, they had no idea their neighbour was the subject of a multi-level government probe. “It’s creepy and unnerving,” said Laura Winterbottom, a nearby resident. Winterbottom knows several of the locals. The events that the police say occurred nearby are news to her. Winterbottom remarked, “It’s terrifying to go anywhere and not know anything.”
According to the investigation, Ho, Ngoy, and Nguyen were operating out of a house on Roosevelt Avenue and manufacturing and selling ghost firearms. “The defendant, Ho, was using a wide variety of components to assemble ghost guns,” Steele explained. After hearing reports of parts for “ghost guns,” investigators went to his house to speak with him and request permission to search the premises. According to the police investigation, the suspects built firearms were hidden elsewhere.
According to the declaration of probable cause, fifteen firearms were initially recovered. It was speculated by detectives that additional firearms or firearm components were still missing. Steele hoped that the guns collected up to this time wouldn’t be put to any criminal purpose. “It’s a lot to process all at once,” said Justin Harrison, who lived directly opposite 32-year-old Ho. It came as a shock to Harrison when he learned that his neighbour had been accused of manufacturing and selling fake firearms. “Kids play up and down the street all the time,” Harrison noted. My children spend all of their free time here. This next-door neighbour, though, is very reclusive. In the nearly four years I’ve been in this city, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen him. According to Steele, anyone with information has to come forward immediately.
Because of this, “we need people who have gotten them to give them to us to turn them in to get them off the street, so people don’t die,” Steele added. Some residents in the area have expressed relief after the men’s detention. “That will help me relax for the time being. Anacari Carreon remarked, “But still like, kind of scary.” “It demonstrates that it’s not limited to specific locations, such as New York or Philadelphia or other major metropolitan areas,” Winterbottom said. “It’s all around us.” The three accused individuals are currently being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after being unable to post bail.
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