A 54-year-old Baytown resident has been ordered to prison for his role in firearms trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Eduardo Hernandez pleaded guilty on October 31, 2024.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Hernandez to serve 151 months in federal prison, immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about Hernandez’s activities, including his purchase of several firearms from a licensed dealer in the Houston area.
He had also sent photos of the firearms to an individual in Michoacan, Mexico, to provide confirmation of the transaction. During his allocution, Hernandez apologized for his offence against the United States.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Crane responded by commenting that the victim of this offence is really Mexico and that the people of that country suffer at the hands of cartel violence.
On November 1, 2023, as part of an ongoing criminal investigation involving the unlawful purchase, transfer and exportation of firearms and ammunition, authorities conducted a search of a residence.
At that time, they discovered and seized multiple firearms from an individual unlawfully present in the United States who admitted the firearms were intended to be transported into Mexico.
The investigation revealed Hernandez had purchased two of the seized weapons – both rifles.
At the time of his arrest, Hernandez admitted to purchasing approximately 50 firearms from licensed dealers and private sellers and transferring those firearms to aliens unlawfully present within the United States. Hernandez also admitted having transported tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition to a home near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Hernandez was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
