PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island man has been sentenced to eight years in prison on gun and drug charges, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Antonio Vazquez, 26, of Pawtucket, was sentenced earlier this month after pleading no contest to possession of a firearm after being convicted of a crime of violence; possession of a ghost gun; possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number; possession of fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana; and other charges, according to a statement from the office of state Attorney General Peter Neronha.
Vazquez was one of four people arrested in July after investigators seized more than 1,500 fentanyl pills, a ghost gun, and a large capacity magazine from homes in Providence and Pawtucket.
Ghost guns can be assembled from kits bought online and do not have serial numbers, making them harder to track.
“As we have seen time and time again, drug traffickers are moving significant amounts of fentanyl while armed with guns — particularly illegal guns with large capacity magazines — and pose a threat to the safety of Rhode Islanders,” Neronha said in a statement. “Too often that dangerous combination is fueling street violence and overdoses, causing tragic outcomes in our communities.”
Charges against the other three suspects are pending.
