Cambridge Resident Arrested for Possession of Ghost Gun, 200 Grams of Cocaine

Cambridge Police arrested Michael Burke on Thursday for the possession of illegal drugs and a homemade firearm — commonly known as a “ghost gun” — and accused him of being involved in “cocaine distribution over an extended period of time” in a press release.

CPD confiscated more than 200 grams of cocaine, more than $8,000, the ghost gun, and another unregistered firearm from Burke near Mount Auburn Street and Putnam Avenue. He was taken into custody without incident.

Burke — a 49 year old Cambridge resident who is not affiliated with Harvard — is the subject of an ongoing investigation by CPD’s Criminal Investigations Section, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Drug Enforcement Agency, according to a Thursday CPD press release.

“As the result of a long investigation to address narcotics violations in Central Square and the larger Cambridge community, a search warrant was executed on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, in the area of Mount Auburn Street and Putnam Avenue,” the release stated.

Burke was previously arrested by CPD in March for trafficking cocaine and other drugs and carrying a knife.

Ghost guns, which are often assembled from kits and are untraceable, have grown in prevalence in recent years, to the alarm of many gun control advocates and regulators.

The Biden administration issued regulations in 2022 requiring that ghost guns must be marked with serial numbers and that their buyers must pass a background check. Though the regulations were challenged by gun rights groups, the Supreme Court signaled their support for the rules in oral arguments on Tuesday.

Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan stressed the importance of law enforcement agencies collaborating for “the removal of drugs and guns from our communities.”

“Ghostguns are a significant threat to public safety and those who possess them are intentionally skirting the Massachusetts gun laws,” she said in the release. “These prosecutions reflect our commitment to holding those in possession of these guns accountable.”

Geoffrey D. Noble, the Massachusetts State Police Colonel, said in the release that the state police “remains committed to thoroughly investigating illegal firearms.”

“Our partners at the Middlesex District Attorney's Office and the Cambridge Police Department share that resolve,” he said. “The items recovered during the arrest illustrate the positive impact of state and local law enforcement working together.”

—Staff writer Sally E. Edwards can be reached at sally.edwards@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @sallyedwards04 or on Threads @sally_edwards06.

—Staff writer Asher J. Montgomery can be reached at asher.montgomery@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @asherjmont or on Threads @asher_montgomery.