Two young men from Monroe, North Carolina, have been handed substantial prison sentences for their roles in a drug and arms trafficking operation. Christopher Murrita Diaz, 20, and Gustavo Vergara Avalos, 21, were each sentenced to over a decade behind bars, coming in at exactly 130 months each. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina, their charges included conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession of a machinegun.
Diaz and Avalos had entered guilty pleas for these offenses, with Diaz facing additional convictions for distribution of cocaine, transfer of a machinegun, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. As a part of the plea, they have effectively agreed to now serve their sentences and a subsequent term of supervised release. This case highlights an effort to seriously crack down on the illegal sale of firearms and narcotics – a priority made clear by local law enforcement and federal agencies alike. This also reflects the heightened concerns on the proliferation of “Glock switches,” devices designed to illegally convert semi-automatic pistols into fully automatic.
The investigation that led to the convictions of Diaz and Avalos was initiated after Diaz was allegedly found to be selling cocaine and machinegun conversion devices. During this investigation, Diaz was recorded selling narcotics and several firearms, including two AR-style rifles and a machinegun, to a confidential informant collaborating with the ATF. A search warrant executed in October 2023 uncovered an arsenal of 10 firearms and additional cocaine and conversion devices at Vergara Avalos’ residence, where some of the illegal transactions had occurred…