Mesa man sentenced for drug trafficking, weapons smuggling
Nov 25, 2024, 8:00 PM
A Mesa man was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it and possessing a firearm for drug trafficking activities. (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration File Photo)
(U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration File Photo)
PHOENIX — A Mesa man has been sentenced last week to eight years in prison for conspiring with Mexican drug traffickers to smuggle weapons and narcotics into the country, authorities said.
Nestor Hernandez-Morales agreed to pay $26,000 to buy two rifles as part of an undercover sting in February 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
The 27-year-old paid the money under the impression that the sellers were drug traffickers who saw the guns as valuable parts of their smuggling operations, prosecutors said.
However, soon after paying for the rifles, federal and local law enforcement arrested Hernandez-Morales.
Authorities then searched his residence and found nine firearms, along with 6.6 kilograms of a methamphetamine-infused substance.
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They also found a Beretta handgun, which Hernandez-Morales used to protect himself while he traveled to buy drugs, money and munitions, prosecutors said.
What charges did Mesa man plead guilty to?
This year, Hernandez-Morales pleaded guilty to various charges related to the undercover sting.
On June 18, he admitted to committing these charges:
- Possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
- Attempting to smuggle firearms to promote drug trafficking activities.
- Possessing a firearm to support drug trafficking activities.
U.S. District Court Judge Angela Martinez also sentenced him to spend three years of supervised release after he serves his prison sentence.
