Federal authorities are cracking down on imports of illegal firearm devices from China by seizing two website domains and two cryptocurrency accounts, according to federal prosecutors in Boston.
The two websites allegedly were used to sell and import machine gun conversion devices to the United States from China, according to a statement from the office of Leah B. Foley, US Attorney for Massachusetts.
The crypto accounts were used to facilitate the sales.
The contraband ordered from the websites allegedly was smuggled in air cargo shipments from China to the US, prosecutors said.
During their investigation, authorities seized, 3,093 conversion devices, 282 firearms, 124 silencers, and more than 12,000 rounds of ammunition, according to Foley’s office.
The devices, also called “switches” or “sears,” are used to convert semiautomatic pistols into fully automatic machine guns and are prohibited under the National Firearms Act, prosecutors said.
From 2023 through 2025, federal investigators targeted websites, businesses, and people, selling, offering, or importing and exporting the devices, and made undercover purchases, Foley’s office said.
Prosecutors further allege that the websites trafficked counterfeit goods and sold switches that unlawfully used the Glock, Inc. trademark.
“In reality however, Glock, Inc. has never manufactured switches,” Foley’s statement said.
Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.