Instagram Post Leads To Arrests At Indianapolis Gun And Drug Bust

Two geniuses have been arrested on weapons prices after their very own Instagram submit led the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Division to raid a house on the close to east aspect of the town.

In accordance with detectives with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Division, the investigation started after they noticed Instagram posts by Ronald Castellanos with footage and costs of the weapons.

“You recognize Instagram just isn’t the place to promote firearms,” stated Drew Brown, an officer with the IMPD.

The SWAT raid, which befell on October 9, noticed police seize eight handguns, 20 grams of methamphetamine in addition to $3,480 in money. Two of the seized handguns have been Glocks outfitted with machine gun conversion units generally generally known as switches. 

IMPD officers state that this bust at a house on North State Avenue demonstrates the division’s ongoing concerted effort to crack down on criminals utilizing and promoting machine gun conversion units throughout Indianapolis.

“This simply goes to point out the arduous work our detectives are placing in day in and time out…They’re getting these harmful machine gun units off the streets which might inflict a horrible quantity of injury…Possession of a machine gun conversion gadget is a severe felony in and of itself, not to mention allegedly promoting these on a social media platform” Brown stated.

Whereas personal firearm gross sales are authorized in Indiana even when social media is used to facilitate, individuals prohibited from possessing the weapons are nonetheless barred from such transactions, and promoting machine gun conversion units is all the time in opposition to the regulation.

“It must be famous that the firearms recovered from the house matched the images on the Instagram that have been listed on the market…The 2 firearms with switches, one gold and one silver, have been posted on Instagram on the market and have been recovered,” courtroom paperwork learn. 

Castellanos was on probation on the time of his arrest, having pleaded responsible in July to randomly discharging a gun at Brookside Park. In that case, he was charged with felony recklessness with a lethal weapon, a Degree 6 felony, earlier than he ultimately pleaded responsible and was sentenced to the lesser misdemeanor model of that very same crime.

Additionally arrested this week on weapons prices following the SWAT raid was Brenijah Hollis. An affidavit within the case exhibits that police additionally recovered a small quantity of methamphetamine along with the firearms and switches throughout the raid. Officers declare Castellanos was utilizing Instagram to promote each the medication and the weapons.

Each suspects have been arrested on preliminary prices of possession of a machine gun.