Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies announced four federal arrests and several state arrests Wednesday as part of a months-long investigation into illegal firearms and narcotics trafficking in San Joaquin County.
The investigation — dubbed “Operation Sparkplug” — began in February and focused on members of Varrio Mojado Sureño, or VMS, a criminal street gang in the Central Valley. The charges were announced during a news conference Wednesday at the Stockton Police Department’s downtown headquarters.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California said investigators learned that members of the gang had been involved in illegal firearms sales, drug trafficking, shootings and robberies in San Joaquin County, Sacramento County and the Bay Area.
The operation resulted in the seizure of 37 firearms, including two privately manufactured firearms known as ghost guns, three machine gun conversion devices and a suppressor, according to federal prosecutors. Investigators also seized two ounces of cocaine and one pound of methamphetamine.
A Sacramento federal grand jury indicted four VMS gang members for conspiring to traffic firearms in San Joaquin County, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The defendants are Lodi residents Angelo Contreras, 24, Felix Saenz, 19, Luke Phillips, 25, and Victor Ramos-Ayala, 19. All four defendants were arrested Wednesday and are scheduled to make their initial appearances Thursday in federal court in Sacramento.
“Illegal firearms trafficking fuels violence in our communities, and so dismantling these trafficking networks remains one of our highest priorities,” U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said. “Through the coordinated efforts of federal and local law enforcement partners, we have disrupted a pipeline of weapons and narcotics being brought into the Central Valley.”
According to court documents, Contreras, Saenz, Phillips and Ramos‑Ayala conspired to sell more than 37 firearms through 14 controlled purchases. After Contreras sold the first eight firearms, Ramos‑Ayala arranged five additional sales.
The federal indictment, unsealed Wednesday after the arrests, also charges Contreras with unlawful dealing in firearms, four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a machine gun.
Saenz is charged with unlawful dealing in firearms, possession of a machine gun and distribution of methamphetamine.
Phillips is charged with unlawful dealing in firearms, four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of distribution of cocaine.
Agencies collaborated through undercover purchases, traffic stops and search warrants, recovering illegal weapons and narcotics and identifying individuals responsible for distributing them, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Participating agencies include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Stockton Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Lodi and Ripon police departments and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.
Separately, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting several cases uncovered during the operation. Those cases are ongoing and include allegations involving attempted carjacking, possession of illegal firearms, high-speed pursuits and other conduct posing serious risks to public safety, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas said that in his office’s line of work, law enforcement measures the success of an operation by more than the number of weapons seized.
“We count the tragedies that will never happen,” Freitas said. “Every single one of those guns represents a shooting prevented, a family spared from heartbreak, a life saved. To anyone who thinks they can run a criminal network in our streets, your coordination will always be outmatched by our determination.”
Freitas added that while federal partners handle the “foundational indictments” in the case, his office is “aggressively moving forward” with state-level charges and working to dismantle the remaining parts of the criminal enterprise.
Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said the operation was launched in response to a significant increase in violence during the month of June, when Stockton police investigated seven homicides and eight nonfatal shootings.
“This operation reinforces an important reality: criminal organizations do not recognize jurisdictional boundaries and our response cannot be limited to them,” McFadden said. “By combining local, state and federal resources, intelligence and investigative expertise, we are better equipped to disrupt these criminal enterprises.”
Federal prosecutors said the defendants face varying maximum penalties if convicted. A conviction for conspiring to unlawfully deal firearms carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Distribution of methamphetamine carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $10 million fine.