Five people have been convicted and sentenced for trafficking illegal ghost guns, assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and ammunition in Queens, New York. The investigation, led by the New York Attorney General’s Office Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF), recovered 86 firearms—55 of which were ghost guns—and more than 90 high-capacity magazines.
Attorney General Letitia James stated, “Gun traffickers who specialize in selling illegal and untraceable weapons undermine our commonsense gun safety laws and put all New Yorkers at risk. 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 was conducted jointly with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York and the New York City Police Department (NYPD). It began in 2023 and included controlled purchases of firearms, video surveillance, social media monitoring, and analysis of financial records. In July 2024, a 625-count indictment was announced against Satveer Saini and his associates: Mateo Castro-Agudelo, Hargeny Fernandez-Gonzalez, Adam Youssef Senhaji-Rivas, and Milanjit Sidhu.
Authorities found that Saini, Fernandez-Gonzalez, and Senhaji-Rivas transported firearms from Indiana—which has less restrictive gun laws compared to New York—into Queens. Fernandez-Gonzalez also acquired 3D-printed ghost guns from Nassau County for distribution within the group. Firearms were sold at various locations in Queens including public parks and shopping mall parking lots.
The five convicted individuals are:
– Mateo Castro-Agudelo of Long Island City
– Hargeny Fernandez-Gonzalez of Richmond Hill
– Satveer Saini of East Elmhurst
– Milanjit Sidhu of Greenwood, Indiana
– Adam Youssef Senhaji-Rivas of Astoria
Castro-Agudelo pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree and Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree; he received nine-and-a-half years in prison with five years post-release supervision. Fernandez-Gonzalez pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of a Firearm in the First Degree and Conspiracy; he was sentenced to five-and-a-half years plus five years supervision. Saini pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree and Conspiracy; he forfeited $11,925 from firearm sales made to undercover officers and was sentenced to nine years with five years supervision. Sidhu pleaded guilty to Conspiracy; he received credit for time served—about sixteen months. Senhaji-Rivas pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Firearm in the First Degree and Conspiracy; he received five years with five years post-release supervision.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch said: “The NYPD’s strategy for driving shootings to historic lows is simple: identify the guns, identify the people moving them, and build the cases that take them off our streets. This investigation is that strategy in action. The women and men of the NYPD helped seize 86 firearms, including ghost guns and assault rifles, before they could ever be used to harm New Yorkers. And today, the five individuals behind this gun-trafficking pipeline are off the streets for good. I want to thank our investigators and our partners in the Attorney General’s Office for the meticulous work that led to these convictions.”
HSI New York Special Agent Ricky J. Patel added: “The convictions and sentencings of these individuals mark a decisive victory in the battle against illegal firearms and the grave threat they pose to public safety. The defendants’ criminal enterprise… fueled the cycle of gun violence… HSI New York remains resolute in our mission… I commend the New York Attorney General’s Office [and] NYPD… for their unwavering dedication.”
The operation involved several agencies including federal law enforcement bodies such as ATF’s Indianapolis III Field Office; local entities like Manhattan District Attorney’s Ghost Gun Initiative; Ohio State Highway Patrol; United States Postal Inspection Service; Garden City Police Department; Nassau County District Attorney’s Office; U.S Attorneys’ Offices from Southern Indiana/Eastern District NY; U.S Customs & Border Patrol.
Prosecution was handled by OCTF Assistant Deputy Attorney General Amanda Fix along with former OCTF attorneys Ann Lee & Joseph Marciano under Downstate OCTF Deputy Chief Lauren Abinanti’s oversight.
