Firearms and ammunition seized in Dartmouth Motor Inn Arrest

A New Bedford man was arrested at the Dartmouth Motor Inn on Saturday, June 28, after police recovered multiple illegal firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition from his vehicle.

Nathan Faria, 34, was initially detained by Dartmouth Police around 9:30 a.m. in connection with a domestic violence incident that had occurred earlier in New Bedford. After his arrest, police received information indicating Faria had weapons in his vehicle, a 2023 Toyota Tundra pickup truck.

A search warrant was obtained, and a subsequent search of the vehicle led to the seizure of a Sig Sauer M400 AR-15 assault rifle, a VR80 12-gauge shotgun, a silencer and thousands of rounds of assorted ammunition. Police also recovered six fully loaded 30-round AR-15 magazines, five empty AR-15 magazines, four 10-round shotgun magazines and two five-round shotgun magazines.

Authorities said Faria does not hold a license to carry firearms in Massachusetts or any other state.

In addition to charges related to the domestic violence case in New Bedford, Faria is facing multiple firearms-related charges in Dartmouth. These include two counts of carrying a firearm without a license, possession of a silencer, possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card, 15 counts of possessing a large-capacity feeding device and violating an abuse prevention order.

The investigation involved cooperation between Dartmouth and New Bedford police departments.