A routine traffic stop in Methuen turned into a weapons and drug bust after police say they found a loaded, unserialized "ghost" gun and what they called a significant amount of marijuana in a vehicle driven by a Lawrence man.
The stop in the Lowell sector ended with the arrest of 42-year-old Jonathan Rivera and a 40-year-old passenger. Both were taken to the Methuen Police Department for booking. Police said the passenger was held on an outstanding warrant, while Rivera now faces a slate of gun and motor-vehicle charges.
Traffic Stop In Lowell Sector Uncovers Untraceable Gun
According to police, an officer pulled the vehicle over after it drifted out of marked lanes and the license plate could not be read. The officer reported a strong odor of marijuana coming from the car, and Rivera admitted he had used marijuana earlier, authorities said.
After a roadside field sobriety assessment, officers suspected impairment and prepared to have the vehicle towed. They said a search turned up a backpack holding a Glock-style handgun and a large-capacity magazine. The firearm had no serial number, and investigators also recovered a significant quantity of marijuana along with related paraphernalia.
As reported by Newport Dispatch, Rivera was charged with carrying a loaded firearm without a license, receiving an untraceable firearm, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, a marked-lanes violation and a number plate violation. The passenger, identified as 40-year-old Jacqueline Fabian, was arrested on the outstanding warrant.
How Massachusetts Handles Ghost Guns
Massachusetts law treats untraceable firearms as their own category of crime and largely bans their possession or manufacture. Under Chapter 140, Section 121C, it is illegal to possess or assemble an untraceable firearm, and the criminal code at c.269 §11C lays out penalties for violations, with possession of an untraceable weapon treated as prima facie evidence of wrongdoing, according to the Massachusetts General Court.
The statutes setting out those rules and penalties can be found in Chapter 140, Section 121C and c.269 §11C.
Crackdown On Illegal Guns And Drugs In Essex County
Police in Methuen and across Essex County have been leaning hard into efforts to curb illegal guns and narcotics, and recent multi-agency actions highlight that push. The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office said a late-June sweep targeting what it described as a major drug trafficking operation led to warrants and seizures across Haverhill, Methuen and Lawrence, turning up both drugs and firearms and underscoring prosecutors’ focus on local trafficking, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
Local reporting has also noted prior encounters with untraceable weapons in Methuen. In one violent case, officers were reported to have recovered a ghost gun during a triple shooting, with police said to nab teens in a triple-shooting ghost gun bust.
Next Steps For Rivera And Passenger
Both Rivera and Fabian were processed at the Methuen Police Department. Fabian was held on the outstanding warrant and was not charged with any additional offenses at the scene, according to Newport Dispatch.
Rivera is expected to be arraigned in district court on the firearm and motor-vehicle charges, where prosecutors will formally lay out the case. Methuen police have not released further comment beyond the initial account of the arrest.
