After a month-long investigation, Santa Rosa detectives rounded up a suspected firearms trafficker in a suburban home stocked with illegal arms and meth. The Santa Rosa Police Department Property Crimes Investigations Team, in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations and a United States Postal Inspector, swooped in on May 28, armed with a search warrant for a residence in the 500 block of El Capitan Way in Santa Rosa. They found 44-year-old Bon Kim, the primary suspect and a convicted felon, at the location during the raid.
Running a supposed operation out of his home, Kim was found by investigators to have a startling 19 firearms, including two that constituted short-barreled assault weapons under Californian law. Sources say the search unfolded, revealing a makeshift firearms factory featuring 3D printers busily humming away at crafting parts alongside drill presses, tools, jigs, and high-capacity magazines, all found by detectives who were led to Kim by an intercepted firearm precursor part from China.
According to a release by the Santa Rosa Police Department, besides the weaponry, they discovered methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and two expandable batons in the El Capitan home. The intersection of drugs and guns prompted a swift booking for Kim into the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility on multiple charges, including the manufacturing and possession of assault weapons and possession of methamphetamine.
The charges stacking against Kim are hefty; they include being a felon in possession of a firearm for each of the 19 counts, a felon in possession of ammunition, and importing a handgun to California, which is prohibited by law. Additionally, Kim faces counts for possessing short-barreled rifles and expandable batons, as well as for having privately manufactured firearms lacking serial numbers, as per public records released by the Santa Rosa Police Department. The suspect, caught with evidence suggestive of a prolific trafficking operation, has yet to comment on his arrest.
A detailed list of Kim's charges and further inquiries are being directed to Sergeant Ryan Hepp, offering a glimpse into the dark underbelly of illegal arms trading within our communities. For more information, the Santa Rosa Police Department case number is #24-5722.