Photo: Stock Image
By F. Scott Faulkner
Ventura County, CA–A multi-agency law enforcement operation dismantled a sophisticated illegal firearms manufacturing operation in Eastern Ventura County, unraveling a complex network of juvenile and adult suspects engaged in producing untraceable weapons.
On the morning of November 27 when the service of a search warrant on the Camarillo residence of 45-year-old Juan Mendoza led to the discovery of an arsenal that included 16 illegal firearms, three unlawfully possessed weapons, numerous firearm components, and approximately 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Among the seized weapons was a collection of “Ghost Guns” and a short-barreled AR-15 style rifle converted to fully automatic operation.
According to Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Adam Garnier, the investigation originated in May when Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) intercepted “international shipping packages addressed to a juvenile male” residing in Camarillo. The packages contained “critical firearm components” designed to transform semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic machine guns, which happens to be a direct violation of federal firearms regulations.
Investigators learned that a pair of juvenile suspects living with Mendoza had been systematically acquiring and manufacturing counterfeit firearm parts “designed to circumvent tracking mechanisms.”
Mendoza was taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of unlawful possession of unregistered firearms, conspiracy, and unlawful transfer of firearms. The two male juveniles were transported to the Ventura County Juvenile Justice Facility where they were booked on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges involving the manufacture, transport, and sale of illegal firearms.
Law enforcement operation involved collaboration among multiple specialized units, including the Ventura County Sheriff’s Gun Violence Reduction Program, SWAT teams from Oxnard, Ventura, and Thousand Oaks Police Departments, Tactical Negotiations Unit, Unmanned Aerial Systems, and “multiple specialized enforcement units.”
