Salem ― Two 18-year-old men from Waterbury have pleaded not guilty to charges including stealing 21 firearms from Statewide Pawn Shop on Route 85 in March.

A news release from the U.S. attorney’s office alleged Eduardo Cruz went on to sell some of the guns, while Tyssan Woods used a firearm from the theft to carry out two carjackings.

The March 15 burglary of the federally licensed gun dealer occurred in the early morning, with extensive damage to the right side of the shop visible later that day.

Woods and Cruz have been detained since their arrests. They appeared Tuesday in Hartford federal court.

Cruz, who was arrested March 18, was charged with theft of firearms from a licensee and two counts of firearms trafficking.

Woods, upon his March 28 arrest, was charged with theft of firearms from a licensee, two counts of carjacking, and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Troopers from the Connecticut State Police barracks in Colchester responded to the theft on March 15. Federal officials said the case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, state police, and police departments in Waterbury, Stamford, and Wolcott.

Eight of the stolen firearms have been recovered by law enforcement so far, according to the press release. Officials said other people were involved in the firearm theft and the carjackings.