Cutler man arrested after deputies seize modified AR-15, 25 guns

A modified AR-15 on a passenger seat led Fresno County detectives to a Cutler home where they found more than 25 illegal firearms. Cristian Nunez was booked into the Fresno County Jail after the traffic stop on American Avenue north of Orange Cove widened into a search warrant case, and bail was set at $200,000.

Deputies with the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium stopped Nunez for a vehicle violation. During the stop, a deputy saw an AR-15 rifle with a drum magazine in plain view, and detectives later found an aftermarket insert that increased the rifle’s rate of fire.

The insert made the weapon illegal under California law. Penal Code section 16930 defines a multiburst trigger activator as a device designed to increase the rate of fire of a semiautomatic firearm, and section 16880 also treats parts intended to convert a weapon into a machine gun as illegal. The sheriff’s office classified the insert as fitting that prohibited category.

Investigators then served a search warrant at Nunez’s Cutler home, where they seized illegal firearms. Authorities have not tied the cache to trafficking or gang activity, but the case falls under MAGEC, the county’s multi-agency gang-enforcement consortium created to improve cooperation and networking among participating agencies. Additional felony allegations could follow as the investigation continues.