The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office arrested two teenagers and a 45-year-old man on suspicion of manufacturing unregistered handguns and automatic weapons.
After a months-long investigation, deputies arrested two 17-year-olds in Thousand Oaks on Nov. 27 and executed warrants to search their vehicles and Santa Rosa Valley residence, according to the sheriff’s office. did. The department said in a news release Friday that it seized 19 illegal or illegally possessed firearms and related parts, as well as a “substantial amount” of ammunition as part of the investigation.
A 45-year-old man, a relative of the two teenagers, was also arrested after evidence was found linking him to several of the recovered guns. The identities of the three suspects have not been released.
“Detectives are actively investigating the motive for the suspect’s possession of the seized firearm, but there is no evidence at this time of any widespread threat to public safety,” a sheriff’s news release said.
The investigation began in May after agents with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations intercepted an internationally shipped package addressed to one of the 17-year-old boys living at a residence in the Santa Rosa Valley. It started in . The packages contained counterfeit parts without serial numbers used for certain pistols, as well as parts that can convert semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic machine guns, the sheriff’s office said.
“Some of these parts were imported into the United States from other countries, which led to this investigation,” Detective Joshua Janka said.
After the device was turned over to detectives, they began a criminal investigation. Over the next several months, the 17-year-old allegedly attempted to have more shipments of firearm parts shipped to his address, which were also stopped by federal authorities. The sheriff’s office said six counterfeit parts and two machine gun conversion devices were seized during the month.
A 17-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted unlawful transfer of a firearm, attempted unlawful possession of a firearm by a minor, attempted unlawful possession of a machine gun, attempted unlawful modification of a machine gun, and carrying a loaded firearm into a vehicle. . The second 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of obstructing a police officer, resisting being late, unlawful transfer of a firearm, and carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle. A male relative was arrested on suspicion of criminal conspiracy and illegal firearm transfer.
Detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Gun Violence Reduction Program led the investigation. The weapons seizure operation was a joint effort by members of the Oxnard and Ventura Police Departments, as well as the Sheriff’s Office SWAT team.
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