Authorities break up alleged ghost gun operation at Campbell apartment

By Robert Salonga | rsalonga@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group

Authorities this week arrested a Campbell man for allegedly manufacturing ghost guns and parts that turn handguns into machine guns, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office announced Friday.

Members of the district attorney’s Gun Violence Task Force searched the apartment of 28-year-old Alfred Amaya – on probation for domestic violence – during a countywide domestic violence probation sweep and found the following items, according to the district attorney's office.

• A 3D gun printer that was working inside a closet

• Two loaded weapons

• Three nearly finished weapons

• 35 machine gun conversion devices.

All of the weapons were considered to be ghost guns, the district attorney's office said.

"Our task force shut down a busy criminal ghost machine gun factory in the middle of an apartment building," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. "The defendant’s 3D printer created guns that could be used for robberies and murders, is now out of order. The defendant who was flooding our community with illegal weapons is now behind bars."

Amaya was charged with more than 30 felonies, including possession of a machine gun, manufacturing machine guns, felony possession of a weapon as well as child endangerment. The district attorney's office said Amaya’s "dangerous arsenal was in easy reach" of two children living in the residence.

Amaya was scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon.