The case against a California Marine accused of stealing and trafficking military-grade weapons reads less like a routine criminal complaint and more like a breakdown in one of the most tightly controlled supply chains in the country.
Corporal Andrew Paul Amarillas, an ammunition technician stationed at Camp Pendleton, is now in federal custody after prosecutors say he systematically removed restricted weapons and ammunition from a military armory and moved them across state lines into Arizona. The allegations center on equipment that is not only expensive, but tightly regulated due to its destructive capability.
Among the items cited in federal court documents are components tied to the Javelin missile system, a shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon designed to lock onto targets and strike from a distance.
The system is widely used by the U.S. military and allied forces, and its presence in a criminal investigation immediately raises the stakes. Federal agents have confirmed that at least one such system, along with some ammunition, has been recovered. However, investigators are still accounting for a much larger volume of missing material.
The most significant gap involves M855 ammunition. Authorities believe as many as two million rounds may be unaccounted for. Even within the narrower scope of the charges, prosecutors allege Amarillas moved substantial quantities in a short window.
In one instance, he is accused of offering approximately 25,000 rounds—packed in about 30 cans—to a co-conspirator. Over roughly two weeks, investigators say he stole and sold 66 cans of this ammunition, with only a fraction later recovered.
The method described by prosecutors suggests repeated access and removal rather than a single opportunistic act. As an ammunition technician, Amarillas would have been responsible for handling and tracking inventory, a role that depends on strict oversight and documentation. The charges indicate that those controls may have been bypassed or insufficiently enforced during the period in question.
He now faces multiple federal counts, including conspiracy to commit theft of government property and the possession and sale of stolen military equipment. Each charge carries significant penalties, particularly given the classification of the items involved.
What remains unresolved is the full scope of what left military custody and where it ultimately ended up. Investigators have recovered part of the cache, but the gap between what is accounted for and what is alleged to be missing continues to define the seriousness of the case.