SAN MARCOS (CNS) - A 39-year-old man suspected of possessing an unserialized, fully loaded assault rifle was arrested in San Marcos Thursday.
Deputies from the San Marcos Station stopped William Linares at a traffic stop for a vehicle code violation in the area of Nordahl Road and Montiel Road at 3 p.m. Thursday, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Office.
During the traffic stop, deputies noticed a high-capacity magazine inside the vehicle. After a search of the vehicle they found a fully-loaded assault rifle without a serial number -- a "ghost gun" and another fully loaded pistol, authorities said. In addition, the deputies found illegal narcotics and a large amount of cash.
Linares was arrested and is facing felony charges of carrying a loaded gun in a public place or public street and owning or possessing a gun without a serial number and drug-related charges, the sheriff's office said.
Unlike weapons made by a licensed manufacturer, ghost guns don't have a serial number or other identifiable markings, authorities explained. The lack of a serial number makes it extremely challenging for law enforcement agencies to track these firearms to their owner or maker, hindering or delaying investigations and crime-solving efforts.
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