North Bay man indicted for supplying ghost guns to Sureño gang members

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SANTA ROSA, Calif. - A 41-year-old man has been indicted on federal charges accusing him of supplying firearms to Santa Rosa gang members, authorities said.

Alleged scheme involved untraceable weapons

What we know:

Jose Alfredo Perez allegedly built and supplied more than 20 AR-style assault weapons and ammunition to members of the Angelino Heights Sureño gang, a subset of the larger Sureño gang, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.

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Federal officials said Perez arranged for firearm parts that could not legally be shipped to California to be delivered to an out-of-state address provided by a gang member he worked with. The parts were then transported to California, where Perez allegedly used them to assemble untraceable, unserialized firearms.

Investigators recovered 11 unserialized assault weapons in January 2025 that authorities say Perez built and supplied.

The Department of Justice provided a photo of the guns and ammunition seized as part of their investigation into 41-year-old Jose Alfredo Perez.

Search uncovers firearms workshop

Dig deeper:

In April 2025, authorities executing a search warrant at Perez’s residence found a makeshift firearms manufacturing operation in his tool shed and garage. They found numerous kits for building AR-style rifles, along with tools and machinery used to assemble the weapons, officials said.

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Potential prison sentence

What's next:

Perez’s next court date is scheduled for Jan. 14. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison for unlicensed manufacturing and dealing of firearms and up to 15 years for firearms trafficking.