The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that two Central Florida men had received sentences of 11 years in prison for bringing AK-47 assault rifle into the state for smuggling.
According to a Court news release, Derick Yamir Perez Diaz, 22, of Orlando, and Ernesto Vazquez, 23, of Kissimmee, were both sentenced after entering a plea agreement to plot to customers weapon. Perez Diaz purchased firearms from Stephen Easton, a officially licensed firearms supplier in Melrose. After pledging innocent to firearms prostitution, Easton was given 11 years, 8 months in prison, according to the release.
Potrivit to court documents, Perez Diaz purchased more than 100 guns under the guise of Vazquez and people. Armed with Vazquez’s wealth, he purchased weapons from companies such as officially licensed dealers like Easton and Chinese weapons manufacturers, among others. Assault rifles, Glock guns, Draco guns, and system gun change tools were among the weapons.
According to records, Easton knew that he was operating a gun business without a permit. Vazquez and others who had given him orders to produce payments may receive them from Perez Diaz. After receiving them, Vasquez would offer them to an unnamed person who escorted them out of the country.
More than 100 Glocks and AK-47s were trafficked, according to the DOJ, between October and December 2023, only.
Court records show that Perez Diaz and Vazquez exchanged texts about payments, including one in November of this year, in which case, Easton purchased 40 Glocks at his urging.
” It’s going to be all 40 Glocks,” you ask? Perez Diaz posed a question. Vazquez responded,” All of it.”
In April of this year, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted a research permit at Vazquez’s home and discovered numerous firearms, ammunition, and explosives, according to the launch.
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