Four Individuals Indicted for Firearms Trafficking Conspiracy

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury indicted Luis Melendez Serrano, 19; Kevin Melendez Serrano, 23; Alex Pena Martinez, 19; and William Rivera Nolasco, 19, charging them with conspiring to traffic firearms. According to the indictment, Luis Melendez Serrano and Martinez are illegal aliens who unlawfully possessed a firearm. Additionally, Luis Melendez Serrano, Martinez, and Nolasco are charged with possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Evan Campanella, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – Baltimore; Charles Doerrer, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) – Baltimore; and Chief Robert McCullough, Baltimore County Police Department (BCPD).

According to the indictment, from at least January 28, 2025, through October 16, 2025, the co-conspirators conspired to traffic firearms to other individuals they knew, or had reason to believe, would constitute a felony. These illegal firearm transfers occurred on January 28, February 21, March 13, May 29, and August 28. During the March 13 firearm transfer, Luis Melendez Serrano, Martinez, and Nolasco possessed methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Baltimore comprises agents and officers from various federal, state, and local agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

Additionally, this case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the HSI, ATF, and BCPD for their work in the investigation.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney James G. O’Donohue III, who is prosecuting the case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, visit www.justice.gov/usao-md  and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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