Queens Ghost Gun Ring Busted: 5 Sentenced

NEW YORK – Five men are off the streets and facing serious time after Attorney General Letitia James announced their convictions and sentencing for running a prolific ghost gun trafficking operation in Queens. The crew peddled illegal firearms, including untraceable “ghost guns,” assault weapons, and high-capacity magazines, turning the borough into a potential armory for criminals. The investigation, a joint effort between the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York, and the NYPD, uncovered a network that sourced weapons from as far away as Indiana.

The bust yielded a chilling haul: 86 firearms total, with a staggering 55 of those being privately assembled ghost guns – weapons without serial numbers, making them impossible to trace. Another 25 were outright assault weapons. Authorities also seized over 90 high-capacity magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The operation, which began in 2023, focused on Satveer Saini, 20, of East Elmhurst, NY, and his associates: Mateo Castro-Agudelo, 21, of Long Island City, NY; Hargeny Fernandez-Gonzalez, 20, of Richmond Hill, NY; Adam Youssef Senhaji-Rivas, 20, of Astoria, NY; and Milanjit Sidhu, 20, of Greenwood, IN. They weren’t just stockpiling; they were actively moving these weapons onto the streets.

The investigation revealed a sophisticated operation. Saini, Fernandez-Gonzalez, and Senhaji-Rivas were responsible for sourcing firearms from Indiana – a state with far laxer gun laws than New York – and transporting them back to Queens. Fernandez-Gonzalez also supplemented their supply by acquiring 3D-printed ghost guns in Nassau County. The firearms were then stored and distributed, with sales occurring in brazen locations like the Louis C. Moser Playground in Jackson Heights, even on a weekday afternoon, and in the parking lot of the Queens Center Mall in Elmhurst. This wasn’t a hidden operation; it was a calculated risk taken to maximize profit.

A particularly disturbing detail emerged regarding a garage in Elmhurst used by Castro-Agudelo and Fernandez-Gonzalez. They stashed twelve firearms – including seven ghost guns – and a cache of high-capacity magazines inside a guitar case. Castro-Agudelo even used the case to transport weapons to his customers, with at least one sale taking place right outside the smoke shop where he worked. The sheer audacity of using a musical instrument case to smuggle illegal firearms speaks volumes about the callous disregard these individuals had for public safety.

The sentencing reflects the severity of the crimes. Mateo Castro Agudelo pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony offense, and Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree, a Class E non-violent felony. On November 20, 2025, he was sentenced to nine and a half years in state prison with five years of post-release supervision. Hargeny Fernandez-Gonzalez pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of a Firearm in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony offense, and Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree. Sentencing details for Saini, Sidhu, and Senhaji-Rivas were not immediately available, but authorities confirmed they have all been convicted and will face significant prison terms.

“Gun traffickers who specialize in selling illegal and untraceable weapons undermine our commonsense gun safety laws and put all New Yorkers at risk,” stated Attorney General James. “With this investigation, we put a dangerous gun trafficking ring out of business and brought its members to justice. My office will continue to use all the resources at our disposal to take illegal guns off our streets and protect New Yorkers from gun violence.” The investigation serves as a stark reminder that the fight against illegal firearms trafficking is far from over, and that law enforcement will continue to target those who profit from putting dangerous weapons into the hands of criminals.

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