On June 5, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Helan Noel Lopez-Sanchez, a 32-year-old citizen of El Salvador, for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the charges following an incident at a Motel 6 in Fresno.
Court documents reveal that on January 16, 2025, law enforcement received information about Lopez-Sanchez’s location after he accessed his Snapchat account. A SWAT team from the Fresno Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to execute an arrest warrant at the motel.
SWAT operators used a drone to enter the motel room and observed Lopez-Sanchez with a rifle aimed at the door. He was eventually taken into custody, and officers found ammunition and a short-barreled, privately manufactured rifle.
Lopez-Sanchez is barred from possessing firearms or ammunition due to previous felony convictions for bringing alcohol/drugs into jail and grand theft.
The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Veneman-Hughes is handling the prosecution.
If convicted, Lopez-Sanchez could face up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing would be determined by the court based on statutory factors and Federal Sentencing Guidelines. It is important to note that these charges are allegations; Lopez-Sanchez is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, which aims to combat illegal immigration and eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime. This initiative involves resources from the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
