Six Volusia County men are facing federal charges after they allegedly smuggled high-caliber firearms, including over 30 rifles, to Mexican drug cartels.
On Tuesday, October 8, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced that six DeLand men – 34-year-old Angel Velazquez Delgado, 32-year-old Jesus Hernandez, 30-year-old Edgar Jimenez, 27-year-old Jesus Paulino, 23-year-old old Jonathan Borja, and 28-year-old Jesus Andres – have been charged with violations of federal firearms laws.
Specifically, those charges include:
- Angel Velazquez Delgado – Firearms trafficking and straw purchasing.
- Jesus Hernandez – Conspiracy, firearms trafficking, straw purchasing, and making a false statement on a firearm transaction record.
- Edgar Jimenez – Straw purchasing.
- Jesus Paulino – Straw purchasing.
- Jonathan Borja – Straw purchasing.
- Jesus Andres – Making a false statement on a firearm transaction record.
According to court records, in May of 2023, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives launched an investigation into an alleged firearms trafficking organization operating in Central Florida.
The federal indictment alleges that the firearms trafficking organization comprised of “at least six individuals” and was “led by Angel Velazquez Delgado.” These individuals “purchased high-caliber firearms in the United States for resale to Mexican drug cartels.”
Among the firearms allegedly trafficked by Velazquez Delgado, Hernandez, Jimenez, Paulino, Borja, and Andres included “high-caliber, armor-piercing and anti-material weapons.” According to the indictment, 11 of these firearms were Barrett .50 caliber rifles, which “can expel a very accurate, heavy, and fast-moving projectile” capable of penetrating worn body armor, armored vehicles, aircraft, and boats.
In addition, the six individuals also allegedly trafficked around 16 FN M249S rifles, which are sold in the U.S. as a semi-automatic weapon but can be “easily converted into a machine gun.”
Law enforcement believes that the firearms were purchased at the request of the Mexican drug cartels, and they were transported to the cartels shortly after being purchased. None of the six defendants in this case are licensed to sell firearms.
The indictment further alleges that the defendants sold the firearms to the cartels for “cash, illegal narcotics, or the profits of illegal narcotics sales.” All of the firearms were allegedly purchased in Florida or Georgia prior to being transported to Mexico.
Utilizing a program for tracing firearms, 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 military personnel were involved in a shooting incident with suspected drug cartel members in Michoacan, Mexico.
Two of the suspected cartel members were shot and killed by law enforcement during the incident in Michoacan. A Barrett .50 caliber rifle was recovered at the scene, which had allegedly been purchased by Jesus Hernandez in November of 2022.
“At some point during its operation, the trafficking organization began removing the serial numbers from the firearms to avoid tracing by law enforcement,” stated the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida in a press release.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until proven guilty.
If convicted, Jesus Andres faces up to a decade in federal prison. Three of the defendants in this case – Edgar Jimenez, Jesus Paulino, and Jonathan Borja – could spend a maximum of 25 years behind bars with a guilty conviction.
The remaining two defendants in this case, Angel Velazquez Delgado and Jesus Hernandez, are facing up to 40 and 60 years in federal prison, respectively, if found guilty.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Customs and Border Patrol; Volusia Bureau of Investigations; and Deland Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Lyons and Noah Dorman.