Springfield, Mass. police recovered a loaded ghost gun and significant quantities of drugs, including heroin and crack-cocaine during a recent raid. The bust, led by the Springfield Police Firearms Investigation Unit (FIU), directed by Captain Joseph Dunn and Lieutenant Jaime Bruno, resulted in the arrest of Rondell Palmer, 35, of Hartford, Connecticut. The seizure took place at an apartment on the 200 block of Orange Street, as reported by the official news release from the Springfield Police Department.
During the operation, detectives and officers executed a search warrant around 12:30 p.m., detaining six individuals in and around the apartment. Palmer, the target of a weeks-long drug distribution investigation, attempted to flee by jumping over a porch, but was quickly secured. In the course of the raid, officials seized more than $4,000 in cash, approximately 219 bags of heroin, crack-cocaine, and a large-capacity ghost gun capable of holding 17 rounds of ammunition, along with additional ammunition.
Palmer faces multiple charges including possession of a covert/undetectable firearm, possession of a large capacity firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession with the intent to distribute Class A and Class B drugs among others. This reflects escalating concerns about the prevalence of ghost guns, firearms that are made from parts and do not have serial numbers, thus are difficult to trace.
