21 Guns Seized, 4 Suspects Arrested In SF Trafficking Ring

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Authorities in San Francisco arrested four people in San Francisco last week in connection with an alleged gun trafficking ring, with officers recovering as a many as 21 firearms during the investigation, authorities said Monday.

The arrests were part of a joint operation by San Francisco police, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

According to District Attorney Chesa Boudin, social media posts offering guns for sale led authorities to obtain search warrants at two San Francisco homes.
On Nov. 16, San Francisco officers and ATF personnel served the warrants, arresting four suspects and seizing four guns at one of the homes, and 17 weapons at the second. Authorities also seized illegal drugs, ammunition, high-capacity magazines, various firearm parts, and other alleged evidence of gun trafficking during the operation, district attorney's office officials said.
Investigators believe several of the seized firearms are stolen.

The suspects arrested were John Sembrano, Kakada Mean, Ryan Chantha, and Kelly Mean. All four have been charged by the District Attorney's Office with a slew of weapons crimes.

With rates of gun violence on the rise, both locally and nationwide, city leaders said stopping illegal gun sales is crucial to keeping down violence.

"Nationwide, 2021 is on pace to be the worst year for gun violence in decades, according to the Gun Violence Archive -- and our own statistics locally show that San Francisco is no exception to the national trend," SFPD Chief Bill Scott said in a statement.

"Some gun traffickers have turned to social media platforms to sell dangerous weapons accessible to anyone in the public -- including people prohibited from owning weapons," Boudin said. "We are committed to holding those who endanger our community by selling and illegally owning guns accountable -- and on working to get guns off the streets before violence occurs."

Copyright 2021 by Bay City News, Inc. — Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.