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 John Rodriguez said in an internal interview that he had joined the gang as a fifth grader but was no longer active.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

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Felecia Johnson

DON'T MISS

How in the World Did Fresno End Up on Trump’s Sanctuary Cities List?

DON'T MISS

X Marks the Spot: Bruised Musk Says His Young Son Punched Him

DON'T MISS

PBS Suing Trump Administration Over Defunding, Three Days After NPR Filed Similar Case

DON'T MISS

Loretta Swit, Emmy-winner Who Played Houlihan on Pioneering TV Series ‘M.A.S.H.,’ Has Died at 87

DON'T MISS

San Francisco 49ers Acquire Eagles Edge Rusher Bryce Huff, AP Source Says

DON'T MISS

California Lawmaker Won’t Be Charged After Citation for Suspicion of Impaired Driving

DON'T MISS

California School Awards Dinner at Disneyland Comes With Hefty Price Tag

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Release Video of Officer-Involved Shooting

DON'T MISS

Hamas Says It Is Still Reviewing a US Proposal for a Gaza Ceasefire

UP NEXT

Loretta Swit, Emmy-winner Who Played Houlihan on Pioneering TV Series ‘M.A.S.H.,’ Has Died at 87

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Release Video of Officer-Involved Shooting

UP NEXT

1 in 4 US Children Have Parents With Substance Use Disorder, Study Finds

UP NEXT

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

UP NEXT

Ray Appleton Set to Resume His KMJ Show. E Curtis Johnson Retires

UP NEXT

Visalia Teen Takes Second Place in Dramatic Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest Two Women Suspected in Targeted Shootings

UP NEXT

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

UP NEXT

Fire Contained After Visalia House Blaze Prompts Evacuations and Road Closures

UP NEXT

NY Times Bestselling Author Celebrating Book Release at Fresno Barnes & Noble

X Marks the Spot: Bruised Musk Says His Young Son Punched Him

3 hours ago

PBS Suing Trump Administration Over Defunding, Three Days After NPR Filed Similar Case

4 hours ago

Loretta Swit, Emmy-winner Who Played Houlihan on Pioneering TV Series ‘M.A.S.H.,’ Has Died at 87

5 hours ago

San Francisco 49ers Acquire Eagles Edge Rusher Bryce Huff, AP Source Says

5 hours ago

California Lawmaker Won’t Be Charged After Citation for Suspicion of Impaired Driving

5 hours ago

California School Awards Dinner at Disneyland Comes With Hefty Price Tag

6 hours ago

Fresno Police Release Video of Officer-Involved Shooting

7 hours ago

Hamas Says It Is Still Reviewing a US Proposal for a Gaza Ceasefire

7 hours ago

1 in 4 US Children Have Parents With Substance Use Disorder, Study Finds

7 hours ago

Oreo Maker Mondelez Sues Aldi, Alleging Grocery Chain Copies Its Packaging to Confuse Customers

7 hours ago

Authorities Seek Help Finding Relatives of Deceased Fresno Man

The Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating family members of a Fresno man who died last month. F...

2 hours ago

The Fresno County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office is seeking the public’s help to locate the family of Felipe Pech, 68, of Fresno, who died on April 23, 2025. (Fresno County SO)
2 hours ago

Authorities Seek Help Finding Relatives of Deceased Fresno Man

Felecia Johnson is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for May 30, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
3 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Felecia Johnson

3 hours ago

How in the World Did Fresno End Up on Trump’s Sanctuary Cities List?

3 hours ago

X Marks the Spot: Bruised Musk Says His Young Son Punched Him

4 hours ago

PBS Suing Trump Administration Over Defunding, Three Days After NPR Filed Similar Case

5 hours ago

Loretta Swit, Emmy-winner Who Played Houlihan on Pioneering TV Series ‘M.A.S.H.,’ Has Died at 87

5 hours ago

San Francisco 49ers Acquire Eagles Edge Rusher Bryce Huff, AP Source Says

5 hours ago

California Lawmaker Won’t Be Charged After Citation for Suspicion of Impaired Driving

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

Search

Send this to a friend