Early Monday morning on March 23, 2026, members of the Fall River Police Department’s Community Action & Suppression Team (C.A.S.T.) executed a search warrant at a home on the 100 block of Davis Street and detained the resident. Detectives say they recovered two handguns, ammunition, a small aftermarket device known on the street as a “Glock switch,” and a large cache of high-capacity feeding devices. According to police, the seizure led to state firearms charges against the resident, identified by officers as Anthony Soto, according to the Fall River Police Department's Facebook post.
Police: What was seized and who assisted
According to a post by the City of Fall River Police Department, FRPD C.A.S.T. detectives found a Glock 26 and a Glock 19 that was fitted with what officers described as a Glock switch, along with ammunition and multiple feeding devices. The department’s post stated that detectives recovered 20 feeding devices at the scene. Reported charges include 13 counts for possession of large-capacity feeding devices, two counts for possessing large-capacity firearms, one count of possessing a machine gun, and additional counts for firearms and ammunition without the required FID card.
FRPD said its Crime Scene Unit photographed and collected the evidence. The warrant service drew a sizable law enforcement presence, with the Emergency Services Unit, the Metro Boston Gang Task Force, an FBI task force, and an ATF task force all assisting, according to the department.
What a 'Glock switch' means
Federal authorities classify conversion devices such as a Glock switch as machine-gun conversion devices that can make a semiautomatic pistol fire continuously, and possession of such parts is illegal without federal authorization. In an ATF release, agents described conversion devices as machine guns under federal law, while the Associated Press has noted a nationwide rise in recoveries of these devices and the resulting enforcement actions. That federal classification raises the potential consequences and can bring federal prosecutors into what might otherwise be local-only investigations.
Massachusetts law on magazines and licensing
Massachusetts law defines a large-capacity feeding device as a magazine or similar device capable of accepting more than 10 rounds, and possession by someone without the proper license can carry significant penalties. The state’s statute lays out sentencing ranges and strict rules for machine-gun possession, unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and establishes a mandatory sentencing framework in some circumstances, according to Massachusetts General Laws. Court decisions have further clarified how those penalties are applied when a defendant lacks a valid FID card or license.
Local enforcement context
FRPD’s C.A.S.T. detectives have worked with federal and regional partners on several large seizures in recent months, including a January operation that uncovered kilograms of cocaine and illegal firearms at a Fall River business. That earlier operation was covered by local outlets and by 10 kilos of cocaine and firearms, which noted the interagency cooperation and sizable recoveries tied to the department’s renewed focus on weapons and drug enforcement. The March 23 action on Davis Street fits into that broader pattern of targeted enforcement in the city.
Legal implications
According to the police post, Soto was arrested on March 23 and charged in connection with the seizure, and those charges will move through the local court system. Machine-gun conversion devices are treated as machine guns under federal law and carry serious felony exposure, while Massachusetts statutes set out steep penalties for unlawful possession of large-capacity feeding devices and for firearms possession without the required licensing. Court filings and arraignment notices will mark the next public milestones in the case, and prosecutors, whether state or federal, would announce any additional charges.
