Five individuals linked to an extensive ghost gun trafficking operation that supplied untraceable firearms and assault weapons to Queens have been found guilty and sentenced after a significant investigation led by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), as announced by state and federal officials on Thursday.
The investigation, which commenced in 2023 and included collaboration with the NYPD and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), led to the confiscation of 86 firearms — comprising 55 ghost guns and 25 assault weapons — in addition to over 90 high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Authorities report that the operation manufactured 3D-printed ghost guns in Nassau County and transported both these weapons and serialized firearms acquired in Indiana to Queens, where they were stored and sold.
“Gun traffickers who specialize in illegal and untraceable weapons undermine our gun safety laws and put all New Yorkers at risk,” Attorney General James said. “This investigation shut down a dangerous pipeline and brought its members to justice.”
A Cross-State Trafficking Operation
Prosecutors have zeroed in on Satveer Saini, 20, from East Elmhurst, whom they have identified as a key player in the gun trafficking operation. The investigation revealed that Saini, along with Hargeny Fernandez-Gonzalez, 20, and Adam Youssef Senhaji-Rivas, 20, frequently made trips to Indiana — a state known for its more lenient gun regulations — to purchase firearms and transport them back to Queens. Additionally, Fernandez-Gonzalez acquired 3D-printed ghost guns in Nassau County.
Saini and his partners distributed weapons in various public spots throughout Queens, including the Louis C. Moser Playground in Jackson Heights during daylight hours and in the parking lot of Queens Center Mall. Another trafficker, Mateo Castro-Agudelo, 21, utilized a garage in Elmhurst to stash firearms, at one point concealing 12 guns — seven of which were ghost guns — inside a guitar case.
Sentences for the Five Defendants
All five defendants pleaded guilty to felony charges and were sentenced as follows:
- Mateo Castro-Agudelo, 21, Long Island City — 9.5 years in state prison and 5 years post-release supervision.
- Hargeny Fernandez-Gonzalez, 20, Richmond Hill — 5.5 years in prison and 5 years post-release supervision.
- Satveer Saini, 20, East Elmhurst — 9 years in prison and 5 years post-release supervision; also forfeited $11,925 from illegal sales.
- Milanjit Sidhu, 20, Greenwood, Indiana — time served (approximately 16 months).
- Adam Youssef Senhaji-Rivas, 20, Astoria — 5 years in prison and 5 years post-release supervision.
A 625-count indictment filed in July 2024 outlined the ring’s extensive operations, which investigators pieced together through undercover buys, surveillance, financial analysis, and social-media monitoring.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the case reflects the department’s broader strategy to cut gun violence: “identify the guns, identify the people moving them, and build the cases that take them off our streets.”
HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel said the group’s operations “fueled the cycle of gun violence and jeopardized countless lives,” calling the sentencings a “decisive victory.”
Attorney General James said her office will “continue to use all the resources at our disposal to take illegal guns off our streets and protect New Yorkers from gun violence.”
