Mantua, N.J.- Carlos Castillo, 26, of Mantua Township was arrested for various weapons offenses during an investigation that led to the seizure of a ghost gun, more than a dozen partially assembled ghost guns, and firearm manufacturing tools, the New Jersey State Poice said in a press release on Thursday.
“In January 2022, detectives from the State Police Gangs and Organized Crime South Unit began investigating the distribution of ghost guns in Gloucester County and determined that Castillo was manufacturing ghost guns out of a residence in Mantua Township,” the NJSP said in a statement. “Through various investigative means, detectives determined that Castillo was obtaining ghost gun kits in Massachusetts and transporting them to his residence where he would assemble them into working firearms.”
According to records and information released by the NJSP, “On March 5, detectives from the New Jersey State Police Gangs & Organized Crime South Unit, along with members of the State Police Crime Suppression South Unit, Motor Vehicle Crimes South Unit, Atlantic City Metro Task Force, Mantua Township Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives executed a search warrant at a residence and on a Subaru sedan that Castillo was known to operate.”
What is a ghost gun?
According to the New Jersey State Police, a ghost gun is a firearm that is assembled from various parts that are not imprinted with a serial number and registered with a federally licensed manufacturer, making them difficult for law enforcement to trace.