Lawrence Man Arrested in Gun Trafficking Probe

A two-year NYPD investigation into gun traffickers led to the arrest of 14 people, including a Lawrence man, according to officials.

Jose Martinez, 35, was charged with criminal sale of a firearm in the second degree and other charges after he allegedly sold an assault rifle to an undercover detective last May, Newsday [paid link] reported.

During the investigation, undercover officers bought 55 firearms, including fully loaded assault rifles such as the AR-15 and AK-47, that had been intended for sale in the area of the South Bronx, police said. It was one of the biggest seizures of weapons in recent years.

Newsday reported:

Dubbed "Ghost Buster" because the suspected lead defendant, Reinaldo Romero, 28, of Sagamore Road, Bronx, went by the nickname "Caspa," the probe found that weapons were shipped from Ohio and later Baltimore, said Det. Charles Lennon of the Brooklyn firearms investigation unit. Some of the assault rifles went for as much as $1,400, he said.