Cranston Man Caught With Machine Gun Parts, Xylazine: RI State Police

CRANSTON, RI — A Cranston man was arrested Tuesday after being caught with machine gun parts and more than 500 grams of xylazine, according to Rhode Island State Police.

Nolbertico Caba, 33, was charged with license or permit required to carry a pistol, modifications to semi-automatic weapons, possession of firearms while committing a controlled substance violation and possession with intent to deliver an ounce to a kilogram of a schedule V drug.

State police said the arrest came after a joint investigation with the DEA and Cranston police. The law enforcement agencies searched Caba's home and seized 542 grams of xylazine, 103 grams of synthetic cathinone, 18 assembled sear switches and several disassembled sear switch parts, state police said.

Sear switches are small devices typically made of plastic or metal on a 3D printer. These illegal devices are made to modify a semi-automatic handgun and turn it into a fully automatic machine gun. Sear switches allow a user to pull the trigger once for continuous shooting.

According to state law, possessing a sear switch is considered illegally possessing a gun.

Xylazine is a non-opioid synthetic narcotic. It is commonly used as a tranquilizer for animals and has been linked to increased overdose deaths across the U.S.

Law enforcement agencies have recently identified xylaine as a cutting agent for other illegal drugs, most commonly with fentanyl. State police said xylazine is especially dangerous, because it is a non-opioid and does not respond to typical overdose treatments such as Narcan or naloxone.

Caba was arraigned at Kent County District Court in Warwick and is being held without bail pending future court dates.