A 24 year-old man and a minor were arrested in Mecca Thursday for allegedly possessing so-called “ghost guns.”
Alonso Espinoza of Mecca and a 17-year-old boy were arrested on Wednesday when Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies served a search warrant in the 91-700 block of Avenue 66, according to Sgt. Mariano Matos.
During the search, deputies seized a non-serialized California non-compliant rifle and a non-serialized handgun — considered ghost guns for being untraceable — along with extended magazines and ammunition.
The teen was booked into Indio Juvenile Hall on suspicion of being a minor in possession of ammunition, minor in possession of a firearm and possession of an unregistered firearm.
Espinoza was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of possession of a non-serialized California non-compliant rifle, possession of an unregistered firearm and committing a felony while out on bail. He remains held there on $30,000 bail and is scheduled to make his initial appearance at the Larson Justice Center on Tuesday.
Espinoza’s previous criminal history was not immediately available.
Ghost guns, also known as kit guns or 80% guns, are virtually untraceable weapons that can be made at home using legally purchased parts to complete the already-assembled portion. They are sold at gun shows and online.
The unfinished parts are not required under federal law to have serial numbers or a background check to purchase.