Arizona man sentenced to 6 years in prison for firearms trafficking

PHOENIX – A Tucson man was sentenced to six years in prison on Tuesday for firearms trafficking, authorities said.

Julian Canastillo previously pleaded guilty to six counts of smuggling goods from the U.S. and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

He will face three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

Tucson man sentenced for firearms trafficking

Authorities said the 23-year-old was one of 10 individuals who partook in a firearms trafficking organization based in Tucson.

Canastillo’s organization was linked to over 200 firearms transactions.

He told authorities he was responsible for smuggling 36 firearms into Mexico, prosecutors said.

A 51-count indictment was filed on September 15, 2022, with Canastillo as the lead defendant.

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