Santa Rosa police say they seized 167 firearms and three 3D printers in an ongoing investigation Tuesday, Feb. 10, that led to the arrest of a Cloverdale man accused of illegally manufacturing and selling guns.
As detectives were preparing to search a residence early Tuesday, they observed Joshua Penuelas, 22, leaving the residence as a passenger in a vehicle, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.
Authorities said Penuelas was carrying a loaded handgun concealed in his waistband at the time of the stop, and he was arrested around 5:15 a.m.
Following the arrest, detectives searched two Cloverdale residences where police said Penuelas lived part-time.
About 5:20 a.m. Tuesday, investigators found 36 firearms, many of them loaded and unsecured, at a home in the 100 block of Garden Circle, police said.
An adult woman and young child live at the residence, police said. Though the firearms were allegedly accessible to the child, police said, the child was allowed to remain in the woman’s care after the weapons were removed.
Police also reported finding a 3D printer, printing materials and high-capacity magazines that officers believe were used to make the firearms.
During a second search at about 5:45 a.m. in the 100 block of Treadway Court, described as a residence belonging to a relative of Penuelas, investigators found additional firearms, two more 3D printers, printing materials and a laptop authorities say was connected to the manufacturing operation.
In total, police say they recovered 157 handguns and 10 assault-style weapons, as well as more than 20 high-capacity magazines. Many of the firearms recovered consisted only of lower receivers — a core component of a gun that California state law defines as a firearm even when other parts are missing.
Police said several of the weapons were unfinished or lacked serial numbers. Firearms without serial numbers, often called “ghost guns,” cannot be traced and are illegal to manufacture or possess in California.
Penuelas was booked into the Sonoma County jail on multiple felony charges, including illegal manufacturing and possession of assault weapons, making high-capacity magazines, possession of firearms with removed serial numbers, manufacturing firearms without serial numbers and felony child endangerment. He also faces misdemeanor charges related to carrying a concealed and loaded firearm in public.
The investigation was conducted by the Santa Rosa Police Department’s Property Crimes Investigations Team with assistance from the Narcotics Investigations Team. Police said the case remains under investigation.