Three men from Southern California are now facing federal charges after allegedly conducting an illegal firearms trafficking operation that spanned from Utah to California. Manuel Ivan Sanchez, 37, of Helendale, Ricardo Amezcua, 45, of South Gate, and Fernando Nava, 35, of Hemet were arrested today, accused of making repeated short trips to Utah to illegally purchase and subsequently sell firearms in California, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.
The trio effectively masked their true California residencies to circumvent laws preventing Utah gun dealers from selling to non-residents, according to the federal criminal complaint. This involved obtaining Utah identification under pretenses—actions that now have them standing in the shadow of a maximum five-year federal prison sentence if convicted. "Illegally sold guns often end up being used in violent crime and other serious offenses," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada in a statement. "It is imperative to protecting our community that we aggressively prosecute those who put all of us at risk by illegally trafficking in firearms."
Details from the complaint, which was filed on October 23, reveal that the defendants made trips to purchase over 120 firearms, including pistols and semiautomatic rifles, from licensed dealers and through an informal online gun exchange, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California. These transactions date back to November 2022 and extend up until July 2024. The affidavit uncovered that each defendant claimed to be a Utah resident on federal firearms sales forms when, in reality, this was not the truth.
Furthermore, the investigation has shown that between January and August 2023, Sanchez alone was involved in acquiring around 81 firearms through an online gun exchange platform, setting up transactions via text messages, and meeting sellers in person. These weapons were then advertised at marked-up prices, despite none of the defendants having a license to legally deal in firearms. This sophisticated movement of guns across state lines, now laid bare by federal investigators, points to a brazen disregard for the stringent laws that govern firearm sales—a disregard that the authorities are keenly looking to address. "The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive is investigating this matter," as per the U.S. Department of Justice's official release on the case.