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U.S. ATTORNEY
Judge sentences Mesa man to 8 years for weapons and drug-trafficking
Posted
INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA
A 27-year-old Mesa man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty to drug, firearms and other charges.
U.S District Court Judge Angela M. Martinez also said Nestor Hernandez-Morales will follow his time in prison with three years of supervised release.
Hernandez-Morales pleaded guilty in June to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug-trafficking activity and attempted smuggling of firearms to promote drug-trafficking activity.
On Feb. 1, 2023, Hernandez-Morales arranged with individuals from Mexico to purchase a .50-caliber semi-automatic rifle and a 5.56x45mm-caliber belt-fed rifle for $26,000, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona.
“Hernandez-Morales intended to purchase these particular weapons because these individuals were involved in drug-trafficking organizations in Mexico and knew these types of guns were valuable to promote and support their drug-trafficking activities,” the release stated.
Hernandez-Morales paid $26,000 for the two rifles as part of an undercover sting and was soon after arrested by federal and local law enforcement.
A subsequent search of his home revealed 6.6 kilograms of a substance that contained methamphetamine.
Law enforcement discovered that he also possessed a Beretta handgun “that he admitted he used to protect himself while he traveled and to secure the drugs, money and munitions he stored at his residence,” according to the release.
An additional nine firearms were discovered at his home, authorities said.
