A San Marcos man found asleep at the wheel has been arrested and is facing several drug and weapons charges, including the possession of a ghost gun. Yesterday, deputies spotted Manuel Vargas in his car on the 1500 block of Linda Vista Drive. According to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, Vargas, who was prohibited from owning firearms, was taken into custody after officers noticed drug paraphernalia in plain sight.
The situation escalated when, upon further inspection, deputies discovered a small case near Vargas containing two guns – one loaded, unserialized 9mm Glock-style handgun with a high-capacity magazine and one unloaded .22 LR Pietro Beretta semi-automatic handgun. The presence of a loaded ghost gun, which can be privately made and untraceable due to the lack of serial numbers, raises ongoing concerns about the proliferation of these hard-to-track weapons.
Vargas, born February 12, 1994, now faces felony charges that include carrying a loaded firearm in public, possession of an unregistered firearm, possession of narcotics, and narcotics paraphernalia. Officials seized the firearms, ammunition, and narcotics during the arrest. The discovery of the firearms was particularly troubling given Vargas's legal prohibition from owning or possessing firearms or ammunition.
After his arrest, Vargas was booked into the Vista Detention Facility.
