Attorney General Bonta Announces Arrests of Two Suspects After Cache of Illegal Weapons and Ammunition Discovered

VISALIA — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the arrest of two suspects in Visalia found with dozens of illegal weapons, including machine guns and ghost guns, ammunition and equipment and parts used for the manufacture of ghost guns. The operation was conducted on June 6 by the Tulare County Agencies Regional Gun Violence Enforcement (TARGET) Task Force led by the California Department of Justice (DOJ), and assisted by the Visalia Police Department and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Teams.

“Firearms built at home by individuals who have not passed a background check and have not had their guns properly serialized leave law enforcement in the dark and endanger our communities,” said Attorney General Bonta. “These arrests have made the Visalia community that much safer, thanks to the work of the special agents from the California Department of Justice and our law enforcement partners in Tulare County. My office will continue to work actively every single day to end this gun violence epidemic and keep Californians safe.”

After obtaining a search warrant, investigators recovered three machine gun pistols (two of which were ghost guns), one ghost gun handgun, one handgun that was determined to be stolen, one AR-15 style machine gun/short-barrel ghost gun rifle, one AR-15 style short-barrel ghost gun rifle, one AK-47 style assault rifle, one short-barrel shotgun, and two AR-15 style unserialized lower receiver/frames, four drum magazines, eleven large-capacity magazines, six standard-capacity magazines, and approximately 650 live rounds of ammunition, along with jigs for manufacturing ghost guns, multiple firearms parts, accessories and tools used in the manufacturing of ghost guns and machine guns, one ounce of suspected cocaine, and evidence consistent with drug sales.

One suspect was arrested for the possession of a machine gun, manufacturing of a machine gun, possession of an unregistered assault weapon, manufacturing of an assault weapon, possession of a short-barrel rifle and shotgun, possession of a stolen handgun, manufacturing of an unserialized handgun, and criminal storage of firearms. The second suspect was arrested for possession of a machine gun, manufacturing of a machine gun, manufacturing of an unserialized handgun, possession for sales of a controlled substance, and possession of a controlled substance while armed.

This case will be submitted to the Tulare County District Attorney's Office for consideration of the applicable charges. It is important to note that a criminal complaint, once filed, contains charges that must be proven in a court of law. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.