Nine men in Montgomery County have been arrested for allegedly operating a gun trafficking ring out of a storage unit and residences in Pottstown, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The men are accused of illegally buying and selling store-bought firearms. They also allegedly sold "ghost guns," suppressors and machine gun conversion devices known as "switches" that they manufactured with a 3D printer. Ghost guns are privately assembled from firearm kits and lack serial numbers. Switches convert semiautomatic pistols into automatic weapons.
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The alleged operation purchased 31 guns from stores in eight counties: Berks, Bucks, Chester, Columbia, Lehigh, Montgomery, Wayne and Westmoreland. Seventeen have been recovered by police during search warrants or from crime scenes, prosecutors said. The ghost guns – which are untraceable – and suppressors and switches were manufactured out of a home in Boyertown, prosecutors said.
"So now we have 'silent machine guns' in our communities, some without serial numbers," Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said in a statement. "The risk to community members and law enforcement officials across Montgomery County, across the commonwealth and across the United States is simply unmeasurable."
The investigation into the alleged ring began Feb. 1. when Pottstown police were called to Pottstown Hospital, where James Hiller, 18, was being treated for a stab wound. Hiller allegedly told police that he was stabbed in Pottstown during an argument over a small amount of marijuana, but investigators later determined the stabbing had occurred in Birdsboro, Berks County, while he was attempting to sell an illegal gun, prosecutors said.
Keith Chaney, 26, allegedly was with Hiller at the time. They each are among seven Pottstown men facing charges. The others are Michael Needling, 28, Desmond Bennett, 32, Maleec Borders, 23, Ryan Stoudt, 25, and Horace Keiffer, 36. Two others – Lucas Groff, 28, of Boyertown, and Nathaniel Arroyo, 27, of Birdsboro – also have been charged.
They are facing various charges including corrupt organization, aggravated assault, illegal sale or transfer of firearms, criminal conspiracy and crimes committed with firearms.
During the investigation, police examined cell phone records, firearms purchases, surveillance footage and social media posts to determine the scope of the alleged operation. Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation.