In a notable development within the justice system, Ricardo Fermin Sune-Giron, a 34-year-old Guatemalan fugitive who had been residing in the United States under a false identity, has been sentenced to a substantial 14-year term in federal prison. The charges that led to this sentencing include conspiracy to traffic in firearms, gun trafficking, and dealing in firearms without a license, as well as possessing firearms as an illegal alien. The ruling was handed down by U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington, with a court order for Sune-Giron to forfeit all firearms and ammunition found in his possession.
According to the plea agreement, Sune-Giron's illegal activities were prominent between 2023 and April 2024. During this time, he actively recruited individuals to serve as "straw purchasers," buying guns illegally from licensed federal firearms dealers across Florida. These firearms, including Glocks, rifles, and AK-47s, were then smuggled overseas to various countries, with the Dominican Republic and Haiti amongst the destinations. The illicit network that Sune-Giron integrated himself into trafficked over 1,000 firearms, many of which were later recovered at crime scenes, as detailed by a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, a sweeping Department of Justice initiative aimed at curbing illegal immigration, dismantling cartels, and eradicating transnational criminal organizations. The operation consolidates resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods, underscoring a relentless pursuit of justice against these complex, multifaceted challenges. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, alongside Homeland Security Investigations, investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Diego F. Novaes and Noah P. Dorman prosecuted it. Before sentencing, Sune-Giron's guilty plea was entered on December 11, 2024.
