Seattle man charged with possessing 'ghost gun,' stolen car and drugs

SEATTLE - A Seattle man faces federal felony charges of possessing a ghost gun and drugs in a stolen vehicle.

Jade B. Irey was charged Wednesday in the Seattle U.S. District Court with unlawful possession of a machine gun, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and unlawful possession of a firearm. U.S. Attorney Nick Brown said that Irey possessed a ‘ghost gun’—an unregistered, untraceable gun assembled from parts purchased online.

"The prevalence of ghost guns in our communities is serious problem," said Brown. "Unregistered, fully automatic, and with an extended magazine, this weapon and others like it do not belong in anyone’s hands, let alone those engaged in the drug trade on our streets."

Irey was under investigation for a burglary in Bellevue in Dec. 2021, after his cell phone was found on the ground. Police surveilled Irey from his home in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood to various stops around town on March 24.

Officers ran a check on Irey's car and learned it was reportedly stolen, so they arrested him and searched the car.

Inside, they found a ghost gun, meth, black tar heroin and 700 suspected fentanyl pills. They secured a search warrant for Irey's phone, where authorities say they found details of his drug sales and firearm ownership.

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Irey is barred from possessing a weapon due to three felony convictions in King County in 2018 for residential burglary, trafficking stolen property and identity theft.

The federal gun charges are punishable up to 10 years in prison, plus 20 years for the drug distribution charge, then an additional mandatory minimum of five years for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.