A Mexican citizen who told investigators he bought dozens of guns in Oregon and then resold them to anyone in “the streets,” on Thursday pleaded guilty in federal court to making a false statement to acquire a gun and being an alien in possession of a gun.
Samuel Rodrigo Melo Santos, 27, bought 91 guns for a total of $56,448 between May 2024 and July 2025, as well as 40,000 rounds of ammunition, according to a federal prosecutor.
He and three co-defendants purchased a total of 164 guns from the same Cave Junction firearms dealer at a cost of $109,124, and each falsely claimed they were U.S. citizens, Assistant U.S. Attorney Judith R. Harper wrote in Melo Santos’ plea agreement.
Melo Santos is the only one of the four co-defendants to plead guilty in the case. The other three have pleaded not guilty, and a trial is set for Nov. 17.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives identified Melo Santos after an inspection found that the gun dealer IV Guns and Ammo in Cave Junction had made repeated sales of Beretta pistols and Smith & Wesson .22-caliber rifles to four people who shared the same addresses in Medford and unincorporated O’Brien in southern Oregon, according to Harper.
On federal forms, Melo Santos listed “Mexico,” as his place of birth and checked the United States as his country of citizenship, though he’s not a U.S. citizen, according to the plea agreement.
In December, ATF agents obtained a federal search warrant, raided a residence in Medford and arrested Melo Santos. Agents seized IV Guns and Ammo receipts, $11,000 in cash, 468 grams of suspected methamphetamine and one empty rifle case from the home, according to court records.
Melo Santos, during an interview with a Spanish-speaking interpreter, told agents he sold the guns to others who could not legally buy firearms “through word of mouth” or using an app on his cellphone, according to his plea agreement.
He said he’d make $100 to $150 per gun sold. He’d pay in cash and sometimes used a bank card, according to investigators. One of the guns sold turned up in Mexico, according to federal agents.
Melo Santos is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 9 before U.S. District Judge Michael J. McShane in Medford.
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