Deputies searched a home in the 26000 block of Jackson Road in Apple Valley as part of an investigation into suspected narcotics sales and illegal firearms, seizing 12 firearms and roughly half a pound of suspected methamphetamine. A 30-year-old resident was arrested, Victor Valley News reported. Sheriff’s officials said the operation began at about 3:09 p.m. on November 11.
The Apple Valley Station Gang Enforcement Team served the warrant. Deputies reported that four of the firearms were unserialized, one was reported stolen and one was fully automatic. They also found eight large-capacity magazines and a digital scale, according to VVNG.
Justin Merell, of Apple Valley, was arrested at the scene without incident. The report says deputies later found about six grams of suspected methamphetamine in Merell’s shoe during booking at the High Desert Detention Center; the rifle was among the firearms seized at the home.
Booking Allegations
Merell was booked on suspicion of a lengthy list of offenses tied to the raid and the booking incident: possession of a controlled substance while armed, possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of a large-capacity magazine, possession of a short-barreled rifle, possession of a silencer, bringing a controlled substance into a jail facility, and possession of stolen property, per the same account. Those are booking allegations, and the report does not indicate whether formal charges have since been filed in court.
What the statewide data says about unserialized firearms
California DOJ defines ghost guns as firearms that are both privately made and unserialized. The report of four unserialized firearms in the Jackson Road search does not establish that they were privately made, according to the California Department of Justice Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
The DOJ reported that ghost guns recovered from crime in California increased each year from 2013 to 2021, then declined 23% between 2021 and 2023. Those statewide figures do not establish whether any firearms seized on Jackson Road were ghost guns or show how common such recoveries were in this case.
Pattern of Recent Apple Valley Firearm Seizures
The Jackson Road search is the latest in a string of Apple Valley cases this fall involving guns and suspected narcotics found during searches. On November 5, as reported by Victor Valley News, deputies conducting a probation check at an Apple Valley home reported finding several baggies of suspected methamphetamine, a scale, drug paraphernalia, brass knuckles, a loaded firearm, and ammunition, leading to the arrests of Andrew Bojorquez, Steven Venzor, and Manuel Solis, all of whom were booked into the High Desert Detention Center.
In late August, as noted by Victor Valley News, a traffic stop near Choco Road and Choco Lane led deputies to arrest 49-year-old Apple Valley resident James Moore, after which investigators obtained a search warrant for a residence tied to Moore in the 14000 block of Pamlico Road. That search turned up six firearms, including an AK-47 and an unserialized weapon, along with an additional half-pound of suspected methamphetamine, two ounces of suspected cocaine, two ounces of suspected psilocybin mushrooms, digital scales, and $1,300 in cash. The reports describe several separate Apple Valley incidents involving drugs and firearms, though the available evidence does not establish whether such seizures represent a broader rise in local crime.
Other County Firearm Seizures
Separate Operation Consequences efforts provide additional county context. San Bernardino County reported that an operation during the week of Oct. 12 resulted in 20 firearms seized, including nine ghost guns, along with 30 felony arrests, 17 misdemeanor arrests and 35 warrant arrests, according to the county. The Victorville Daily Press reported that a separate effort served warrants at nine locations, including Apple Valley, from Nov. 2 through Nov. 8, resulting in 47 firearms seized, including 40 unserialized firearms.
Anyone with information about the Jackson Road investigation is asked to contact the Apple Valley Police Station at (760) 240-7400 or sheriff's dispatch at (760) 956-5001. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can reach We-Tip by phone or text at 844-909-3006.
