'Ghost Gun' Seized In Early Morning Raid: Stamford Police

Stamford CT

06 October, 2021

1:35 PM

Description

STAMFORD, CT — After a weeklong illegal gun investigation, the Stamford Police Department conducted an early morning raid at a residence on Prospect Street Wednesday and recovered an illegal "ghost gun" and ammunition. Konstantinos Papadakos, 20, was arrested during the raid, according to Capt. Richard Conklin. Papadakos, who is familiar to Stamford Police, was charged with criminal possession of a firearm, criminal possession of ammunition, manufacturing of a firearm, and violation of a standing protective order, Conklin said. A $25,000 bond was issued with a court date of Oct. 7. Additionally, Papadakos is wanted out of Norwalk for evading after a car accident, Conklin said, noting that as of Wednesday afternoon, he remained in custody. If he were to make bond, he'd be transferred to Norwalk to face charges there, Conklin explained. The department received information that Papadakos had an illegal weapon, Conklin said, so the Narcotics and Organized Crime team (NOC), along with help from the Special Response Team (SRT), started an investigation about a week ago. Authorities found that Papadakos had a protective order against him that restricted him from possessing any firearms. Around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, members from the SRT, NOC, Patrol Division, and K9 Unit executed a search warrant at Papadakos' Prospect Street apartment, Conklin said. Officers found Papadakos in bed, armed with a black Polymer 80 PFC94c handgun — commonly referred to as a "ghost gun" — loaded with eight rounds of 9 mm ammunition, according to Conklin. Papadakos was arrested and turned over to NOC investigators, police said. Ghost guns can be purchased online; they come partially made, and the purchaser can finish building the weapon with other parts, making it virtually untraceable without serial numbers. "We're starting to see these ghost guns in other communities in Connecticut. They're quite prolific. This is probably about the fourth or fifth one we've seen in our community. It's a trend we have to monitor," Conklin said.