DOVER, DE — Dover police arrested two people and seized multiple firearms after a traffic stop Wednesday led officers to a Polymer80 ghost gun fitted with a machine gun conversion device. The stop happened just before noon on Sept. 9 in the area of 318 North DuPont Highway.
Police said the conversion device allowed the handgun to fire fully automatically. Officers also found another 9mm handgun inside the vehicle during the stop, which quickly expanded into a broader firearms investigation.
Traffic stop leads officers to two handguns
Authorities said the initial stop uncovered two 9mm handguns in the car. One of them was identified as a Polymer80 ghost gun, a privately made firearm that often draws attention because it may lack a traditional serial number.
In this case, police said the weapon had been modified with a device that changed how it operated. The department described the attachment as enabling fully automatic fire, adding to the seriousness of the discovery.
The traffic stop took place on a busy stretch of North DuPont Highway, one of Dover’s main corridors. That location placed the seizure squarely within the city’s everyday traffic pattern rather than at a targeted enforcement scene.
Search warrant on Ashby Lane turns up another firearm
As officers continued the investigation, they obtained and executed a search warrant at a residence on Ashby Lane. The Delaware State Police Kent Drug Unit assisted Dover police during that search.
Inside the home, officers located and seized an additional 3D-printed handgun. Police did not say whether the firearm was connected to the vehicle stop by ownership, use, or possession, but they treated it as part of the same investigation.
The discovery added another layer to the case because 3D-printed firearms have become a concern for law enforcement agencies that track weapons built outside traditional gun manufacturing channels. In this instance, police said the home search was a direct outgrowth of what officers found during the traffic stop.
Noah Blake and a 17-year-old face gun charges
Police arrested 20-year-old Noah Blake of Dover and a 17-year-old juvenile in connection with the firearms investigation. Blake faces charges of carrying a concealed deadly weapon, possession of a destructive weapon, and hindering prosecution.
Authorities said Blake was committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on a $4,000 cash bond. The juvenile was charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person under 18, criminal contempt of a domestic violence protective order, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, and related gun offenses.
Because one defendant is a juvenile, officials did not release that person’s name. Police have not provided additional details about the relationship between the two suspects or what prompted the traffic stop before officers began searching the car.
Police credit state partners in taking weapons off the street
Chief Thomas A. Johnson, Jr. said the case highlighted the work of Dover officers and the support of state agencies. He specifically pointed to the Delaware State Police and Delaware Probation and Parole as partners in the investigation.
Johnson said the combined efforts removed dangerous weapons from the streets and helped make the community safer. His comments framed the operation as part of a wider public-safety effort involving local and state law enforcement resources.
The seizure also reflects how traffic enforcement can lead to wider criminal investigations when officers find illegal weapons during routine stops. In this case, the initial encounter led to a search warrant, additional evidence, and multiple arrests.
Ghost guns and conversion devices remain a law-enforcement concern
The case involves several categories of weapons that law enforcement has increasingly focused on: a ghost gun, a conversion device, and a 3D-printed firearm. Each raises separate concerns about how guns are built, altered, and carried.
Dover police did not say whether any of the weapons were fired or used in another crime. Even so, the department’s description of a fully automatic-capable handgun underscores why the seizure drew immediate attention.
For investigators, the case is a reminder that a single stop can uncover multiple firearms and trigger a search at another location. Police have not said whether additional charges are expected, but the arrests already tie the incident to both the car stop and the Ashby Lane search.
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