Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Investigation Reveals How a Fresno Street Gang Obtained Army Assault Rifles
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
June 15, 2021

Share

Authorities weren’t looking for a military assault rifle when they went to investigate a domestic assault case, but they found one.

It was in the garage of a Spanish-tiled home that police stumbled upon the AK-74. Its distinctively banana-shaped magazine — loaded with 20 rounds — was in a nearby storage container.

AK-74s are similar to their more famous cousin, the AK-47. Every two seconds, they shoot three bullets. Because of how rapidly they fire, civilians cannot legally possess them in the United States without a license.

One of the Thieves Associated With Fresno Bulldogs Gang

The weapon recovered by chance in 2019 was stolen eight years before from Fort Irwin, a base in the Mojave Desert where many soldiers trained before tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The three thieves had base access because they were military police — the soldiers who’d get the call when there was a break-in. To get into the supply warehouse known as Building 934 they cut through a fence, forced open one door and cut through another to enter the arms storage room.

One of them was affiliated with the Fresno Bulldogs street gang. Sgt. John Rodriguez said in an internal interview that he had joined the gang as a fifth grader but was no longer active. That was March 2011 — four months before the heist of 26 AK-74s and a sniper rifle.

After the theft, Rodriguez and Pfc. Harvey DelValle II took off nearly 300 miles to Fresno to unload their haul. At the home of an associate, the two soldiers began calling potential buyers.

This was how the weapons of war made their way onto the streets of Fresno. The guns were among at least 1,900 U.S. military firearms that an Associated Press investigation found were lost or stolen over the last decade.

Authorities Recover Gun in Bulldogs Member’s Garage

Authorities around Fresno recovered some of them quickly.

Less than two weeks after the theft, agents tracked one down in the detached garage where a Bulldogs member, Moses Zapien, lived with his girlfriend.

The gun was on a shelf above their bed. Someone had tried to scratch off the serial number. The magazine, with bullets, was inserted.

Zapien told authorities he’d bought it to protect his home for what he considered the bargain price of $200. The garage was in a neighborhood that a century ago housed a railroad depot boom town, but was now gang territory.

Zapien said that he understood the source of the weapon was a Bulldogs member who worked at a military base and was “putting one back on the street for work for the gang.” The gang started in prison and its members have been accused of running guns and drugs, and operating networks of human trafficking and prostitution.

AK74s Reach Gang Hangs in Extended Negotiation

Another six AK-74s reached gang hands through an extended negotiation, according to what Rodriguez’s associate, Nathan Granados, told federal investigators.

About a week after the theft, Rodriguez and Granados met in the back room of a tattoo shop with three gang members who’d arrived in a white BMW SUV. Rodriguez brought one of the AK-74s inside for show and tell.

The discussion was promising enough that the two groups reconnected later and continued to negotiate. Around midnight, they drove to a home for the exchange. Rodriguez went to the backyard cellar and retrieved six guns. The Bulldogs handed over $1,400 and the deal was done.

How many remain in gang hands is unclear. Some of the 26 stolen guns have surfaced by happenstance. In June 2012, an insurance adjuster found one inside a vehicle that had been repossessed from a felon.

The three soldiers were convicted in military courts and sentenced to between six and 20 years in prison. At least 14 civilians were charged.

Though the case is now closed, nearly a decade after the theft at least nine AK-74s remain missing.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

DON'T MISS

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

DON'T MISS

Sue or Hold Back? The University of California Does Both as It Faces Trump’s Wrath

DON'T MISS

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

DON'T MISS

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

DON'T MISS

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

DON'T MISS

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

DON'T MISS

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

DON'T MISS

Protesters Rebelling Against Elon Musk’s Purge of US Government Swarm Tesla Showrooms

DON'T MISS

Plastics Are Seeping Into Farm Fields, Food and Eventually Human Bodies

UP NEXT

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

UP NEXT

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

UP NEXT

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

UP NEXT

Top Vaccine Official Resigns From FDA, Criticizes RFK Jr. for Promoting Misinformation, Lies

UP NEXT

Is Fresno Political Consultant Alex Tavlian Behind Election Attack Mailer?

UP NEXT

St. Agnes’ Newest Robot Promises Less Invasive Surgeries, Faster Recoveries

UP NEXT

Madera Authorities Seize 80 Pounds of Meth, Arrest Two Suspects

UP NEXT

Merced Receives Satanic Flag Request Amid Policy Debate

UP NEXT

Tulare County Wetlands Preserve Is Open to Public on Saturday

UP NEXT

Fresno County Missing Child: 7-Year-Old Damien Deleon

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

11 hours ago

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

12 hours ago

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

1 day ago

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

1 day ago

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

1 day ago

Protesters Rebelling Against Elon Musk’s Purge of US Government Swarm Tesla Showrooms

1 day ago

Plastics Are Seeping Into Farm Fields, Food and Eventually Human Bodies

1 day ago

Myanmar’s Earthquake Death Toll Jumps to 1,644 as More Bodies Are Recovered From the Rubble

1 day ago

Top Vaccine Official Resigns From FDA, Criticizes RFK Jr. for Promoting Misinformation, Lies

1 day ago

If You Want to Ski Affordably Next Season, Buy Now

1 day ago

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

Last year, The Merced FOCUS reported that for the first time in over a decade, a crucial service for survivors of sexual assault would be of...

10 hours ago

10 hours ago

Merced Police Chief: Local Sexual Assault Exams ‘Worth’ Higher Cost

10 hours ago

Anjelah Johnson-Reyes to Headline Chukchansi’s Summer Series with ‘Family Reunion Tour’

11 hours ago

Sue or Hold Back? The University of California Does Both as It Faces Trump’s Wrath

11 hours ago

Central Unified Takes Additional Steps To Protect Undocumented Students

12 hours ago

Americans Trade Michelin Stars for Mac and Cheese

1 day ago

Dueling Protests Clash at Fresno Tesla Dealership

1 day ago

Hamas Says It Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal but Israel Makes Counter-Offer

1 day ago

Andrew Tate’s Ex-Girlfriend Accuses Him of Sexual Assault and Battery in New Lawsuit

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend