A 60-year-old Tampa man pleaded guilty Tuesday after federal and local investigators say he sold a “ghost” firearm and a substantial quantity of methamphetamine to an undercover officer. The plea follows a March 2024 sting and a search that investigators say turned up additional weapons and small amounts of fentanyl inside the defendant’s apartment.
Investigators say the undercover buy involved a .22 H&R Model 929 revolver with its serial number obliterated, 50 rounds of ammunition and 28 grams of methamphetamine, all sold for $200. Federal and local agents executed a search warrant on March 20, 2024 at the suspected residence and seized a Taurus .357 Magnum and a Hi-Point JCP .40 S&W with an altered serial, along with trace amounts of meth and fentanyl, according to the Tampa Free Press.
Ghost guns and federal focus
Unserialized or “ghost” firearms, weapons with removed or absent serial numbers, are increasingly the target of federal prosecutions because they are difficult to trace once used in crimes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District has highlighted similar ghost gun prosecutions in recent years as part of coordinated efforts with the ATF and local police to remove dangerous, untraceable weapons from the street, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida.
Legal implications
The defendant, identified in court filings as Jeffrey Hennig, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, being a convicted felon in possession of a weapon and possession of firearms with altered serial numbers. While a sentencing date has not been set, prosecutors say the combined federal counts carry a maximum penalty of life in prison, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Samantha Newman is leading the case, per the Tampa Free Press.
