San Diego, CA – Carlos Mendoza, a 31-year-old San Diego resident, has been sentenced to 87 months in prison for trafficking methamphetamine and ghost guns.
Mendoza pleaded guilty to selling methamphetamine to undercover federal agents in February 2023. He also admitted to illegally selling eight privately-made firearms, commonly referred to as "ghost guns." These firearms are assembled from parts and lack markings, making them difficult to trace when recovered from a crime scene.
The investigation was part of the Privately Made Firearm Crime Reduction Project, which ran from February to May 2023. The project aimed to address gun violence and the proliferation of ghost guns in San Diego. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) used data analytics to determine areas with high gun violence and where crime guns were being recovered.
"Removing dangerous drugs and illegal guns from the street makes all of us safer," said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. "Now we’ve removed a dealer from the equation, too."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shital H. Thakkar prosecuted the case. Mendoza’s arrest was a result of an intelligence-led policing effort throughout the 90-day initiative. The project resulted in the seizure of 165 ghost guns and the prosecution of 33 people, including Mendoza.
ATF Los Angeles Field Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Bombardiere emphasized the importance of obtaining a federal firearms license and complying with federal laws that require firearms to be serialized. "ATF will continue to investigate criminal possession of ghost guns and those who traffick them with its local partners to make our communities safer," he said.
The case was prosecuted under Title 21, U.S.C., Section 841(a)(1), which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.
Carlos Mendoza was sentenced in federal court on April 19, 2024, for distributing methamphetamine and trafficking ghost guns.
Related Federal Cases
- Vegas Meth Kingpin Gets 11 Years, Ghost Guns Included · Nevada
- Vegas Dealer Gets 11 Years for Meth & Ghost Gun Empire · Nevada
- Meth & Guns: 26 Years for Cali Trafficker · Oregon
- Meth, Guns & A Lifetime of Crime: Fresno Man Faces Life Behind Bars · California
- Meth & Guns Land Vegas Man 11 Years · California
Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug Trafficking