California Highway Patrol Discovers 100-Foot Tunnel to Hidden Bunker Packed With Cache of Illegal Firearms
California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers made a very unusual discovery last week. While investigating a suspected illegal marijuana cultivation operation, they found something unexpected: a 100-foot tunnel leading to a hidden bunker with a large cache of illegal weapons and ammo.
The operation began after a tip was provided to the California Highway Patrol Northern Division Canine Unit. Following a month-long investigation, authorities recovered multiple firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition at a hidden location in Anderson, Calif.
CHP Air Operations conducted an overflight of the area, which helped lead to the discovery. CHP reports that during a search, officers discovered an underground bunker accessible through a 100-foot-long culvert.
California Highway Patrol found an arsenal of weapons in the underground bunker
Inside the bunker, officers found and seized 13 firearms, four soft body armor vests, 30 high-capacity magazines, and approximately 10,000 rounds of ammunition, including armor-piercing rounds. Among the seized firearms were a sawed-off shotgun, three AR-15 style assault rifles, one with an obliterated serial number, and two firearms reported stolen in 2016 and 1978, respectively.
“This operation went far beyond an illegal grow,” said CHP Northern Division Chief John Pinoli. “The combination of a hidden bunker and an alarming cache of illegal firearms and ammunition highlights the threat posed to public safety. I am proud of the tireless work of our Northern Division personnel that led to this arrest.”
California Highway Patrol arrested and booked one man on 11 serious charges. They include possession of an assault rifle, a machine gun, an altered firearm serial number, an undetectable firearm, a stolen firearm, armor-penetrating ammunition, and a high-capacity magazine. He was also charged with manufacturing an assault rifle, a short-barreled rifle, an undetectable firearm, a “ghost gun,” and converting a firearm into a machine gun.
CHP stated that the investigation is still ongoing, while detectives follow up on additional leads.
