Las Vegas man pleads guilty to possession of machine gun
A Las Vegas man pleaded guilty Wednesday in a case involving illegal drugs and homemade weapons.
Wilfred Santos, 27, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of conspiracy to deal in firearms without a license, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, possession of a machine gun and possession of a firearm by a felon.
The case began when an undercover informant for the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms responded to a Snapchat flyer advertising a fully automatic “ghost” Glock pistol for $1,800.
A “ghost gun” generally refers to a homemade firearm without a serial number, often manufactured with a 3D printer.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, the ATF informant made contact with the Snapchat account holder, Nicolas Santos, and was able to introduce an undercover ATF officer to him and his brother Wilfred.
The undercover agent bought multiple guns from the Santos brothers, according to the complaint, including a Glock pistol fitted with a device called a “Glock selector switch,” which illegally modified the pistol to fire like a machine gun.
Xanax pills and other illegal drugs also were purchased by the undercover agent.
Wilfred Santos is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 5. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of up to 65 years behind bars.
Contact Glen A. Meek at gmeek@reviewjournal.com or 602-380-8951. Follow @GlenMeekLV on Twitter.
