KC Man Charged After Officers Seize 59 Firearms, Including Machine Guns, and Illegal Drugs from Residence

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was charged in federal court today after law enforcement officers found 59 firearms, including machine guns, along with illegal drugs during a search of his residence.

Roberto Rosales Gonzales, 23, was charged in a three-count criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo. Gonzales remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing.

On Thursday, March 21, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Gonzales’s residence. During the search of the residence, officers found 59 firearms of various calibers, including two machine guns, assorted ammunition, a firearm silencer, and an inert hand grenade. Officers also found approximately 114.1 grams of suspected fentanyl pills, approximately 1.3 kilograms of methamphetamine, approximately 31.4 grams of suspected heroin, and more than $22,000 in cash.

The two machine guns, which were loaded, were identified as a Glock .40-caliber pistol and a Glock 17 9x19mm pistol, each of which contained a switch to convert it into a machine gun.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, an undercover law enforcement operation made several purchases of illegal drugs and firearms from Gonzales prior to the execution of the search warrant.

Following the transactions, the affidavit says, investigators learned that a pistol and a rifle sold by Gonzales had been reported stolen. A National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) evaluation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives indicates that the rifle was a match to shell casings recovered from two shootings.

Today’s criminal complaint charges Gonzales with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing firearms, including machine guns, in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of illegally possessing machine guns.

The charges contained in this complaint are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

National Integrated Ballistic Information Network

This investigation involved leads generated from the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.