LUBBOCK, Texas — A Lubbock man, Christopher James Garcia, 22, admitted that he purchased a device that could convert AR-15 style rifles into machine guns, according to federal court records obtained by EverythingLubbock.com on Monday.
Garcia was arrested by federal agents on Thursday. Court records state on April 27, officers with United States Customs and Border Protection in Louisville intercepted a package that was being shipped from Hong Kong, China to a home in the 5600 block of Avenue G in Lubbock.
According to court documents, agents with Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recognized the contents of the package as drop-in auto sears. Court records described drop-in auto sears as, “A device when added to an AR-15 style rifle that causes it to shoot more than one round with a single pull of the trigger… intended for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun.”
Court records said the parts are considered machine guns under the Gun Control Act.
The package also had part of a device that would let a Glock pistol fire more than one round with a single pull of the trigger, court documents stated.
After federal agents traced the package to Garcia and took him into custody, they found about $20,000 cash, two guns and 356 “suspected THC cartridges” in his vehicle. According to court records, Garcia told agents that he sold marijuana and carried a gun because he was once robbed during a drug deal.
Garcia was charged Possession of a Machine gun and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. As of Monday evening, Garcia remained at the Lubbock County Detention Center on a federal detainer.
