A Central Florida man was sentenced for firearms trafficking.
United States District Judge Thomas Patrick Barber sentenced 50-year-old Jose G. Medina, of Leesburg, to 37 months in federal prison for knowingly making a materially false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm and causing a Federal Firearm Licensee (FFL) to maintain false information in its official records.
According to court records, between January 1 and December 31, 2023, Medina illegally straw-purchased multiple firearms from FFLs in the Middle District of Florida for other individuals. Some of these firearms were later intercepted by the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as other individuals attempted to transport them across the United States’ border into Mexico.
On May 27, 2023, an individual was encountered by CBP as he tried to make entry into Mexico at the Eagle Pass (Texas) Port of Entry. He was attempting to bring 10 handguns, nine rifles, seven shotguns, 20 ammunition magazines, and large amounts of assorted ammunition into Mexico. The individual stated that he was traveling from Orlando, Florida, to San Diego de la Union, Guanajuato, Mexico – an area where Mexican cartels are fighting for control of the territory. Medina had purchased one of these recovered firearms nine days earlier…