Orlando, FL - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the charging of six defendants with violations of federal firearms laws as listed below:

Name, Age, City of Residence	Charges	Maximum Penalties	Number of Firearms Involved
Angel Velazquez Delgado 34, Deland	Firearms Trafficking Straw Purchasing	40 years	10+
Jesus Hernandez 32, Deland	Conspiracy Firearms Trafficking Straw Purchasing Making False Statement on Firearm Transaction Record	60 years	10+
Edgar Jimenez 30, Deland		25 years	5
Jesus Paulino 27, Deland		25 years	4
Jonathan Borja 23, Deland		25 years	2
Jesus Andres 28, Deland	Making a False Statement on Firearm Transaction Record	10 years	2

According to charging documents and other records filed in court, in May 2023, investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began investigating a firearms trafficking organization operating in the Middle District of Florida. The organization was comprised of at least six individuals and led by Angel Velazquez Delgado. These individuals purchased high-caliber firearms in the United States for resale to Mexican drug cartels. These cartels were and are criminal organizations engaged in the trafficking of controlled substances into the United States.

The firearms trafficked by the defendants included high-caliber, armor-piercing and anti-material weapons. For example, approximately 11 of the firearms trafficked by this organization were Barrett .50 caliber rifles, which can expel a very accurate, heavy, and fast-moving projectile that defeats all individually worn body armor, can penetrate and disable vehicles, aircraft, boats, and can also defeat some types of protection provided by armored vehicles. The organization also trafficked approximately 16 FN M249S rifles, which are sold in the United States as a semi-automatic weapon but are easily converted into a machinegun.

(photographs located in cellphone communications amongst defendants)

It is alleged that the firearms were purchased at the request of the cartels and transported to the cartels soon after purchase. None of the defendants possess a license to sell firearms. The defendants were paid in cash, illegal narcotics, or the profits of illegal narcotics sales, to purchase each of the firearms. All firearms were purchased in Florida or Georgia and transported to Mexico.

Using the eTrace Firearm Recovery Notification Program, Mexican authorities were able to confirm the presence of at least one of the trafficked firearms in Mexico. On March 22, 2023, Mexican State Police and Mexican Military Personnel were involved in a shooting with suspected cartel members in Michoacan, Mexico. Two individuals were killed during the exchange of gunfire. After the shooting, a Barrett .50 caliber rifle purchased by Jesus Hernandez on November 8, 2022, was recovered.

At some point during its operation, the trafficking organization began removing the serial numbers from the firearms to avoid tracing by law enforcement.

An indictment or information is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until proven guilty.

"The investigation and prosecution of violent crime continues to be one of the top priorities of my District," said U.S. Attorney Handberg. "These defendants are alleged to have trafficked high-caliber, military-grade weapons into the hands of dangerous Mexican cartel members. Our law enforcement partners worked efficiently and effectively to hold the defendants accountable for their crimes and to stop them from continuing to jeopardize public safety."

This case was prosecuted under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted and the President signed in June 2022. The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, the Volusia Bureau of Investigations and the Deland Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Lyons and Noah Dorman.

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