Ghost Gun, Cocaine Found After Man Runs To Basement During Brentwood Raid: DA

BRENTWOOD, NY — A 25-year-old Honduran national was indicted on weapons and drug charges after Suffolk County police and State Liquor Authority officials raided a Brentwood restaurant and found him with a loaded, unserialized handgun, an illegal high-capacity magazine, and cocaine, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.

Andres Cabrera-Sanchez was arraigned Thursday, April 16, in Suffolk County Court on charges that include second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a Class C violent felony, after prosecutors said he was found with the firearm during an inspection at La Costa Catracha Restaurant in Brentwood.

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According to prosecutors, the case stems from an April 4 inspection at La Costa Catracha Restaurant, where Suffolk County Police Department officers were assisting the New York State Liquor Authority.

During that inspection, Cabrera-Sanchez ran to the basement of the restaurant as officers approached, according to the DA’s office.

Police followed him downstairs, where prosecutors said he pulled a dark metal object from his waistband and threw it behind sheetrock that had been propped against a basement wall.

Officers took Cabrera-Sanchez into custody and recovered what prosecutors described as a loaded, unserialized semiautomatic pistol built with a Polymer 80 frame. The gun was loaded with a magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds, which is illegal under New York law, the DA’s office said.

After his arrest, Cabrera-Sanchez was also found carrying cocaine, according to prosecutors.

On Thursday, Cabrera-Sanchez was arraigned before Suffolk County Court Judge Bryan Brown on an indictment charging him with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, Tierney said.

The top charge, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, is punishable by up to 15 years in prison if Cabrera-Sanchez is convicted, prosecutors said.

Judge Brown ordered that Cabrera-Sanchez be held on $100,000 cash, $200,000 bond, or a $1 million partially secured bond while the case is pending. He is due back in court on May 4.

The United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has lodged an immigration detainer to take custody of Cabrera-Sanchez after the state prosecution is completed, prosecutors said.

Cabrera-Sanchez is being represented by the Legal Aid Society, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“The defendant was in a Brentwood restaurant allegedly armed with a loaded, unserialized pistol, posing a serious threat to everyone inside and to the surrounding community,” Tierney said. “My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively prosecute anyone who illegally possesses dangerous weapons in Suffolk County.”