Federal Crackdown On Inland Empire 'Ghost Guns' Leads To 7 Arrests

INLAND EMPIRE, CA — Seven men accused of illegally possessing, manufacturing or selling guns in Riverside and San Bernardino counties are federally charged with felonies stemming from an investigation by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the agency said Tuesday.

Miguel Avila, 26, of El Monte, Ruben Delafuente, 27, of Ontario, Damien Martinez, 22, of San Bernardino, Damon Moore, 27, of Bellflower, Jesse Nava, 28, of La Puente, Pablo Sandoval, 40, of San Bernardino and Jose Urbina, 35, of El Monte were arrested during a firearms trafficking investigation that resulted in the seizure of guns and drugs, according to the ATF.

The agency said that more than 30 firearms were confiscated, several of them converted to fully automatic.

"The majority were privately made firearms, bearing no serial numbers or identifying marks, commonly referred to as 'ghost guns,'" according to an ATF statement.

Some of the guns were AR-15-style sport rifles, and at least one of them had a sawed-off barrel, agents alleged.

Methamphetamine was also seized during the crackdown, according to the agency.

The men were charged with a variety of counts, including dealing in firearms without a license, being a felon in possession of a gun, distribution of narcotics for sale and possession of an unregistered firearm.

Background information on the defendants was not available.