TUCSON, Ariz. – A Mesa man was sentenced last week to 96 months in prison for attempting to smuggle weapons and traffic drugs with a firearm. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the DEA and the Arizona Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation in this case.
“Weapons smuggling poses a grave threat, fueling violence, endangering communities, and undermining national security—it demands unwavering vigilance and decisive action by all law enforcement agencies,” said Fransisco B. Burrola, special agent in charge for HSI Arizona. “In this specific case, the defendant managed to commit several federal crimes that landed him near a decade in prison. Let this case send a signal to those contemplating a life of crime, it’s not worth it. HSI and partner agencies will find you, arrest you and ensure you answer for your actions.”
Upon release from prison, Nestor Hernandez-Morales, 27, of Mesa, will be on three years of supervised release. Hernandez-Morales pleaded guilty 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 June 18.
On Feb. 1, 2023, Hernandez-Morales made arrangements with individuals from Mexico to purchase a .50 caliber semi-automatic rifle and a 5.56x45mm caliber belt-fed rifle for $26,000. 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.
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 residence 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. An additional nine firearms were discovered at his residence.
This investigation was a collaborative effort between federal law enforcement agencies and is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative in Southern Arizona that is being led by the Arizona Strike Force located in Tucson. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Petermann, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.