SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Leaders for the City of San Diego, including Mayor Todd Gloria and Chief of Police Dave Nisleit, announced new gun enforcement action during a press conference Wednesday morning.
The action stemmed from a months-long, crime reduction project specifically targeting privately made firearms.
Over a three-month period, several law enforcement agencies worked together, with the goal of working to lower the amount of violent crimes in San Diego County. During that timeframe, the agencies seized 165 firearms, 81 of which were ghost guns.
The guns were put on display at the press conference, filling up three large tables.
The agencies used data and intelligence gathered from undercover operations to target known problem areas around the county. Law enforcement also used surveillance and social media to aid their investigations.
More than 30 arrests were made in connection to this operation.
"Our number one priority is keeping our community safe," Randy Grossman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, said. "People with ghost guns are a serious threat to our community. Every illegal gun removed from criminal hands makes us safer."
As part of this effort, agents also seized drugs. The San Diego County District Attorney's Office says it is currently working on more than 10 cases after 66 pounds of meth, 1.4 kilograms of fentanyl and 2 kilograms of cocaine were all seized during the operation.
The San Diego Police Department's Ghost Gun Apprehension Team, which was started in 2021, played a large role in the crime reduction project.
Before Wednesday's announcement, the team had recovered more than 200 ghost guns from the streets.
