Rhode Island man facing over 70 drug and firearm charges, after 20 ghost guns, fentanyl pills and cocaine seized

Attorney General Peter Neronha announced that a Pawtucket man has been charged in Providence County Superior Court with possessing 20 ghost guns and drug trafficking offenses following an investigation by the Rhode Island State Police (RISP) into drug trafficking in the greater Providence area.

On August 8, 2023, the Office of the Attorney General charged 56-year-old Ferdinando Lombardi, by way of criminal information, with 77 counts, including 48 counts of possession of a firearm while possessing with intent to deliver a controlled substance (cocaine and fentanyl), 24 counts of possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime of violence, two counts of possession of a ghost gun, one count of possession with intent to deliver fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to deliver cocaine, and one count of possession of a large-capacity magazine.

As alleged in the criminal information, in March 2023, the RISP investigators and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force officers began investigating the defendant as someone they suspected to be involved in drug trafficking in the greater Providence area.

As further alleged, investigators conducted surveillance of Lombardi’s home on Windmill Street in Pawtucket, observing behavior consistent with drug trafficking.

As alleged in the criminal information, on March 28, 2023, at approximately 10:30 a.m., investigators and HIDTA task force members executed a court authorized search warrant at the defendant’s home. It is alleged that investigators apprehended him in his driveway before entering the home. Investigators then searched his home and seized approximately 137 fentanyl tablets, approximately 9.23 grams of cocaine, 24 guns, including 20 Polymer80 ghost guns, 12 Polymer80 ghost gun lower kits, seven Polymer80 ghost gun upper assemblies, a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver, a Colt .25 caliber semi-automatic handgun, an Iver Johnson .38 caliber revolver, an Iver Johnson double action .22LR revolver, gun assembly tools, assorted gun parts, a large-capacity magazine, various pistol magazines, hundreds of rounds of various calibers of ammunition, narcotics packaging material, digital scales, and approximately $7,521 in cash.

“Any day we can take this many illegal weapons off the street is a great day for public safety in Rhode Island,” said Colonel Darnell S. Weaver, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police and Director of the Department of Public Safety. “I am thankful for the hard work of our detectives and grateful for the collaboration we enjoy with the other law enforcement agencies that work on our HIDTA task force.”

The defendant is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on October 18, 2023, in Providence County Superior Court.