PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- A man was sentenced to over four years in prison on Wednesday after trafficking guns from Portland to Mexico.
Along with his 57-month sentence, Hugo Aparicio, 42, will also have three years of supervised release and all of his guns were seized and forfeited, officials said.
Aparicio and others conspired to smuggle firearms from Portland to Mexico by hiding 12 guns in the spare tire compartment of a car that Aparicio had obtained.
"Investigators believe the guns were destined for cartels. The group was trying to impress a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization with the hope of receiving illegal drugs to sell in Oregon," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "With the assistance of the California Highway Patrol, DEA task force officers located and stopped the courier in California before the guns could be transferred. The courier's vehicle was searched, and law enforcement officers found the firearms hidden in the spare tire area."
Aparicio pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic in firearms on May 22.
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