PORTLAND, Ore. — A 29-year-old Salem man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for trafficking firearms and controlled substances, including fentanyl and cocaine, as part of an investigation involving the Varrio Catorce Norteño street gang.
Christopher Hermens was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to transferring firearms to someone he had reason to believe would use the weapons in connection with felony crimes.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began investigating members of the Varrio Catorce Norteño gang in the Salem area in July 2023. During the investigation, an undercover ATF agent conducted multiple controlled purchases of firearms and illegal drugs from Hermens and his associates…