Operation Sparkplug: An Update to the Gang Picture in San Joaquin County
Operation Sparkplug: An Update to the Gang Picture in San Joaquin County
LodiEye · San Joaquin County · September 2026
Four Lodi residents were federally indicted on September 23 as members of Varrio Mojado Sureño, a gang that has been in Lodi for years but did not appear in our April report. This report looks at the case, what it changes in that earlier picture, and the other gang-related cases in San Joaquin County since April.
Key points
- Operation Sparkplug, a multi-agency investigation that began in February 2026, ended with a takedown on September 23. A federal grand jury indicted four Lodi men, ages 19 to 25, on a charge of conspiring to traffic firearms.
- Prosecutors say the four sold more than 37 guns through 14 controlled purchases. The federal case alone produced 37 firearms, two ghost guns, three machine gun conversion devices, a suppressor, cocaine and methamphetamine.
- The gang involved, Varrio Mojado Sureño (VMS), is a Sureño set. Our April report described Lodi as almost entirely Norteño. That was incomplete. Lodi Police identified VMS as one of the three most common Sureño sets in Lodi as far back as 2009.
- Since April, the Punjabi Devils founder from Lodi was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison, and Operation Hard Ball brought federal charges against Stockton men tied to India-based crime groups.
- All defendants in pending cases are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
This report builds on earlier work
It follows our April 2026 report, The New Shape of Gang Activity in San Joaquin County, which laid out five gang ecosystems operating in the county and how each touches Lodi. It relies heavily on Stocktonia News, Greater Stockton's nonprofit newsroom, especially Hannah Workman's September 23 coverage of the Sparkplug announcement, Chris Woodyard and Andrea Baltodano's reporting on Operation Hard Ball, and Aaron Leathley's January reporting on the December 28 killing in Lodi. Readers are encouraged to read the originals, linked in the references below.
What happened on September 23
Federal, state and local agencies announced the results of Operation Sparkplug at a news conference at Stockton Police Department headquarters. The investigation began in February and focused on gun and drug trafficking by members of Varrio Mojado Sureño, or VMS. Agencies used undercover purchases, traffic stops and search warrants to recover weapons and drugs and to identify the people distributing them.
Taking part were the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Stockton Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the Lodi and Ripon police departments, and the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California is handling the federal case, and the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office is handling related state cases.
ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alex Buenaventura said investigators learned that VMS members had been involved in illegal gun sales, drug sales, shootings and robberies in San Joaquin County, Sacramento County and the Bay Area.
"Illegal firearms trafficking fuels violence in our communities, and so dismantling these trafficking networks remains one of our highest priorities." U.S. Attorney Eric Grant
The four federal defendants
A Sacramento federal grand jury indicted four VMS members, all Lodi residents. They were arrested the morning of September 23 and were scheduled to make their first appearances in Sacramento federal court on September 24. According to court documents, the four conspired to sell more than 37 firearms through 14 controlled purchases. After Contreras sold the first eight guns, prosecutors say Ramos-Ayala arranged five more sales.
| Defendant | Age | Charges in the indictment |
|---|---|---|
| Angelo Contreras | 24 | Conspiracy to traffic firearms; unlawful dealing in firearms; four counts of felon in possession of a firearm; possession of a machine gun |
| Felix Saenz | 19 | Conspiracy to traffic firearms; unlawful dealing in firearms; possession of a machine gun; distribution of methamphetamine |
| Luke Phillips | 25 | Conspiracy to traffic firearms; unlawful dealing in firearms; four counts of felon in possession of a firearm; two counts of distribution of cocaine |
| Victor Ramos-Ayala | 19 | Conspiracy to traffic firearms |
Federal counts by defendant and type of charge
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California, September 23, 2026. Each count is an allegation, not a finding of guilt.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Felon in possession carries up to 15 years, and methamphetamine distribution carries up to life in prison and a $10 million fine. Any sentence would be set by the court under federal sentencing guidelines. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole M. Vanek is prosecuting the case.
What was seized
The federal portion of the case produced 37 firearms, two privately made "ghost guns," three machine gun conversion devices, one suppressor, 2 ounces of cocaine and 1 pound of methamphetamine.
The operation as a whole was larger. CBS Sacramento reported 10 arrests in all and, citing ATF, about 75 firearms seized over the full operation, 15 of them on the day of the takedown. At least one other outlet reported a total of 80 firearms. The District Attorney's cases involve attempted carjacking, illegal firearms, high-speed pursuits and other conduct. The names of those defendants have not been released.
Firearms seized in Operation Sparkplug
Sources: U.S. Attorney's Office (federal case); CBS Sacramento citing ATF (takedown day and full operation). The full-operation figure is approximate.
Why it started
Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said the operation was launched in response to a rise in violence in June, when Stockton police investigated seven homicides and eight nonfatal shootings. He said investigators believe some recent homicides may be connected to the people targeted in Sparkplug, and that those links are still under investigation.
The June spike came in a year that has otherwise been lower than last year in Stockton. The city reported 20 homicides through August, compared with 26 over the same months of 2025.
Stockton homicides, January through August
Source: CBS Sacramento, September 24, 2026, reporting Stockton Police Department figures.
Lodi Police Chief Ricardo Garcia said removing illegal guns from the street is an important part of preventing shootings and reducing violence. District Attorney Ron Freitas said the criminal activity uncovered was coordinated and not random, and that his office intends to see that every defendant "faces the consequences the law demands."
What this changes in our April report
Our April report described Lodi's gang landscape as almost entirely Norteño, with two documented active sets, Varrio Centro Lodi (VCL) and Varrio Latino Locos (VLL). That picture left out Lodi's Sureño sets.
VMS is a Sureño set, aligned with the Mexican Mafia, and every federal defendant in this case lives in Lodi. The set is not new here. In 2009, a Lodi Police detective told the Lodi News-Sentinel that the three most common Sureño sets in Lodi were Varrio Mojado Sureños (VMS), the Playboy Sureños (PBS) and the Pobre Side Locos (PSL). The Playboys already appear in the April report as a Stockton set.
The April report also described Sureños pushing into historically Norteño Galt. Taken together, the more accurate description is that Lodi, like most of San Joaquin County, has both Norteño and Sureño sets, and has for at least 17 years.
The December 28 killing on West Harney Lane
The April report mentioned a December 28, 2025 shooting at an apartment complex in the 800 block of West Harney Lane. Stocktonia later identified the victim as Emmanuel J. Lopez, 33, of Lodi. Stocktonia reported that Lopez had been a guest at the November 29 birthday party on Lucile Avenue in Stockton where four people were killed, and that his 9-year-old daughter was shot there and survived.
Lodi Police described Lopez's death as an isolated incident that was possibly gang-related. The Sheriff's Office said nothing indicated the two shootings were connected. Stocktonia reported that Lopez's death was the only homicide in Lodi in 2025. The case remains open, and anyone with information can contact Detective Patrick Backman of the Special Investigations Unit at pbackman@lodi.gov or (209) 333-6727.
Other cases since April
East Pine Street murder retrial
On April 28, a jury again convicted Alejandro Duran Mercado of second-degree murder in the February 26, 2021 killing of Cenobio "Nick" Gallegos on East Pine Street in Lodi. The District Attorney's Office said Mercado believed Gallegos was a rival gang member because he was wearing a red shirt, though Mercado had never met him. Gallegos had no ties to any gang.
Punjabi Devils founder sentenced
On May 11, U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd sentenced Jashanpreet Singh, 27, of Lodi, to five years and four months in federal prison for unlawful dealing in firearms and possession of a machine gun. Singh founded the Stockton-based Punjabi Devils Motorcycle Club, which federal prosecutors describe as associated with the Hells Angels. The April report covered his June 2025 arrest, his attempted flight to India, and his February 2026 guilty plea. He remains in federal custody.
Operation Hard Ball
In early July, federal authorities announced the results of Operation Hard Ball, a years-long investigation of three India-based organized crime groups. Stocktonia reported 24 arrests in the U.S. and abroad, 11 of them in California, and 23 search warrants served in Stockton and San Joaquin County.
Two Stockton men, Gurlal Singh, 22, and Sahibdeep Singh, 24, are charged as alleged members of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria syndicate, with counts including racketeering, drug and gun smuggling, and extortion. Both are accused of trying to sell automatic weapons and grenades in July 2025. In a related indictment, Lawrence Bishnoi was charged with federal racketeering and extortion conspiracy as the alleged head of his organization.
In April, the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria group appeared in our report only as a tournament organizer's suspicion about threats to Kabaddi athletes. It now has federally charged members living in Stockton.
A fourth India-linked group
On July 21, the California Highway Patrol arrested Harmanveer Singh in Stockton. Federal prosecutors accuse him of transporting drugs for the Ravinder Dhanda Organized Crime Group, which they say moved cocaine and methamphetamine in semi-trucks and farm vehicles from Southern California to the Canadian border. That makes a fourth India-based group with an arrest in San Joaquin County, alongside the three in our April table.
2026 timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 7 | Stocktonia identifies the December 28 Harney Lane victim as Emmanuel J. Lopez of Lodi |
| February | Operation Sparkplug begins; Jashanpreet Singh pleads guilty in federal court |
| April 15 | CalMatters publishes its investigation of India-linked extortion in the Central Valley |
| April 19 | LodiEye publishes The New Shape of Gang Activity in San Joaquin County |
| April 28 | Alejandro Duran Mercado reconvicted of second-degree murder in 2021 East Pine Street killing |
| May 11 | Jashanpreet Singh sentenced to five years and four months |
| June | Stockton records seven homicides and eight nonfatal shootings |
| Early July | Operation Hard Ball announced; two Stockton men charged; 23 local search warrants |
| July 21 | CHP arrests Harmanveer Singh in Stockton |
| September 23 | Operation Sparkplug takedown; four Lodi residents federally indicted |
The federal role
Sparkplug was run under Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Justice Department's program for coordinating federal, state and local work on violent crime. The department describes it as a key part of Operation Take Back America, the same federal effort under which the Jashanpreet Singh case moved to federal court.
Our April report ended by asking how Lodi Police would balance local gang work with multi-agency federal cases. Sparkplug is one answer so far. Lodi Police was a partner agency in an ATF-led federal investigation, and the resulting federal case is against Lodi residents.
What this means for Lodi residents
Most Lodi residents will not encounter any of these groups directly, and that part of the April report still holds. A few things are clearer now than they were in April.
Lodi's gang picture includes both Norteño and Sureño sets. The two largest federal gun cases involving Lodi residents in the past year, the Punjabi Devils case and Sparkplug, both came from undercover or controlled gun purchases, and both involved machine gun conversion devices. The Gallegos case is a reminder that people with no gang connection can be hurt by these rivalries. And across the county, federal agencies are now bringing cases against both local street gangs and India-based networks, often in the same months.
Reporting information
Lodi Police Department: (209) 333-6727. Lodi Area Crime Stoppers (anonymous): (209) 369-CRIME or 369crime.com. FBI: 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
References
- LodiEye. "The New Shape of Gang Activity in San Joaquin County." Lodi411.com, April 19, 2026.
- Workman, Hannah. "Four Lodi residents federally indicted in San Joaquin County gun, drug trafficking operation." Stocktonia News, September 23, 2026.
- U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California. "Coordinated state-federal operation targets drivers of violence in Stockton and Lodi." justice.gov, September 23, 2026.
- "10 arrested, 75 guns seized in months-long Stockton gang crackdown." CBS Sacramento, September 24, 2026.
- "4 Lodi gang members federally indicted on firearm, drug trafficking charges." Yahoo News, September 23, 2026.
- "4 Lodi men arrested for trafficking guns and drugs." FOX40 News, September 23, 2026.
- "Residents tired of repeated vandalism on Hutchins Street." Lodi News-Sentinel, September 25, 2009.
- Leathley, Aaron. "Party guest survived Stockton mass shooting. A month later, he is gunned down in Lodi." Stocktonia News, January 7, 2026.
- San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office. "Jury Reconvicts Alejandro Duran Mercado of Second-Degree Murder in Lodi Shooting Case." sjcda.org, April 28, 2026.
- U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California. "Founder of Punjabi Devils Motorcycle Club Stockton Sentenced to over 5 Years in Prison." justice.gov, May 2026.
- "'Punjabi Devils' motorcycle gang leader sentenced." FOX40 News, May 12, 2026.
- Woodyard, Chris. "Massive FBI bust of India-based gangs nets 2 Stockton men; 23 local sites searched." Stocktonia News, July 10, 2026.
- Woodyard, Chris and Baltodano, Andrea. "FBI nabs third suspect in Stockton as part of massive crackdown on Indian gangs." Stocktonia News, July 27, 2026.
- Singh, Gagandeep. "How gangs connected to India are terrorizing a California immigrant community." CalMatters, April 15, 2026.
- LodiEye editorial contact: editor@lodi411.com