Edmond Tumasyan, Narcotics Charges and Weapons Offenses, California 2023

A notorious San Fernando Valley man has been arrested and charged with a series of weapons offenses and narcotics trafficking in a federal grand jury indictment.

Edmond Tumasyan, 35, of Sun Valley, was taken into custody by members of the Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force without incident on Wednesday evening, following a long-running investigation.

The indictment, unsealed this week, alleges that Tumasyan possessed approximately 3.8 kilograms of heroin for sale, and a cache of unregistered firearms, including an AR-15-type rifle with no serial number, often referred to as a 'ghost gun.'

The indictment also alleges that Tumasyan illegally possessed an unregistered 40mm grenade launcher, and several machine guns, handguns, and silencers, many of which were unregistered.

Tumasyan, a convicted felon, having previously been convicted of crimes involving burglary, false checks, and narcotics, pleaded not guilty to the charges in the indictment at his arraignment this afternoon and was ordered to stand trial on September 15.

According to the indictment, the firearms seized from Tumasyan's residence in 2019 were illegally possessed because some allegedly were used in furtherance of drug trafficking and because Tumasyan is a convicted felon.

The Task Force opened a federal case targeting Tumasyan in October 2019 following seizures made by the Glendale Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The case against Tumasyan is the result of an ongoing investigation by the Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, which is made up of special agents with the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General, as well as officers with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Glendale Police Department, and the California Department of Health Care Services.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph D. Axelrad of the Violent and Organized Crime Section.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

According to the indictment, if convicted of the 11 charges in the indictment, Tumasyan would face a statutory maximum penalty of life in federal prison.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/sun-valley-man-indicted-federal-narcotics-charges-and-weapons-offenses-including