3 San Diego County Men Charged With Selling Guns, Drugs To Undercover Agents

SAN DIEGO, CA — Three San Diego County men accused of selling guns and drugs to undercover federal agents were arrested and charged with firearms and drug trafficking offenses, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.

The men collectively sold 40 firearms to ATF agents over a series of transactions between June 2024 and April of this year, according to prosecutors.

According to the complaint, undercover agents told the men that the guns they were buying — including several without serial numbers, some privately manufactured using 3D printers, as well as two machine guns — were headed to Mexico. Prosecutors said the men also sold fentanyl and meth to the undercover agents, including 1,000 pills containing fentanyl.

Angel Flores, 19, of Vista, Daniel Zambrano, 27, of Vista, and Ruben Ivan Rubio, 29, of Chula Vista were arrested Tuesday and charged with dealing firearms without a license, possessing machine guns, and distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl.

All three defendants were scheduled to appear Friday in San Diego federal court for detention hearings.