Braden Huston Hobbs, 28, of Ponte Vedra Beach, is headed to federal prison for nine years after what prosecutors say was a years-long hustle mixing guns and hard drugs along the First Coast. On Thursday, July 23, 2026, a federal judge in Jacksonville sentenced Hobbs for running an illegal operation that involved buying and flipping firearms while trafficking cocaine and Adderall. Authorities say Hobbs purchased more than 120 guns from Jacksonville dealers, sometimes advertising and lining up buyers before he even legally owned the weapons, and then turned some of those deals into straight trades for drugs. The case broke open after a June 26, 2024 traffic stop that turned up a sizable stash of narcotics, and the sentence was imposed in U.S. District Court in Jacksonville.
Federal sentence and charges
Hobbs pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced Thursday on charges of conspiracy to traffic firearms, making a materially false statement to a licensed firearms dealer, and conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, according to the U.S. attorney's office. A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida said U.S. District Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger handed down the nine-year term after prosecutors detailed the size of the operation in court. The office said Hobbs pulled in more than $200,000 in illegal proceeds over roughly three years.
How investigators say the scheme worked
Investigators say Hobbs bought at least 121 firearms from three licensed dealers between March 2022 and June 2024, including 67 guns in just the first half of 2024, then sold them off to others, often quickly. Officials allege he frequently promoted guns for sale, enlisted co-conspirators to help find buyers, and sometimes agreed to take drugs instead of cash, according to reporting from News4JAX. Prosecutors told the court that some of the weapons Hobbs purchased later surfaced at the homes of drug dealers and a convicted felon, underscoring how quickly the guns moved from retail counters into the criminal underground.
Arrest, evidence and task-force work
The investigation widened after agents traced firearms recovered in separate cases back to Hobbs and carried out controlled buys that pulled 11 guns out of circulation from his associates, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. On June 26, 2024, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officers stopped Hobbs in traffic, arrested him, and seized more than 200 grams of cocaine and about 17 grams of Adderall from his vehicle, according to investigative records. Federal partners including the ATF and IRS Criminal Investigation joined the probe, a multi-agency push that prosecutors say helped map out the local pipeline of guns and narcotics tied to Hobbs.
Co-conspirators also sentenced
Two co-defendants were sentenced in related cases: Alton Wayne Cope III received four years and three months in federal prison, and Jayden Lance Cope was ordered to serve six years, reporting shows. Undercover firearms buys and cellphone records helped tie both Copes to a recurring pattern of gun deals with Hobbs, according to News4JAX. Prosecutors framed the trio’s prison terms as part of a broader effort to clamp down on an illegal local market that churned out both weapons and drugs.
Defense plea and local context
Defense filings urged the court to weigh Hobbs’ history of substance use, his cooperation with investigators, and his limited prior record, with his attorneys pushing for the five-year mandatory minimum, local reporting said. The St. Johns Citizen noted that Hobbs’ lawyer told the judge he had completed educational programs while in custody and asked that Hobbs be placed in a federal facility in Florida so he could stay near his family and continue treatment. With the nine-year sentence now in place, Hobbs will serve his time in the federal system. Details on restitution or forfeiture were not immediately made available.
