DENVER – A Denver man who sold dozens of high-powered guns to undercover agents – believing the weapons were being sent to a Mexican drug cartel – was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison on Friday, officials announced.
Andres Jaquin Luna, 47, was convicted on charges of possession of a machine gun and distribution and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
U.S. District Court Judge Philip A. Brimmer sentenced Luna to 188 months in prison, or 15 years and eight months.
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents began investigating Luna in 2017 and learned that he was in a Denver gang and looking to sell drugs. He was also selling guns without serial numbers, known as "ghost guns," authorities said.
His accomplice, Jose Trujillo, was building the guns, and both men repeatedly sold the weapons to undercover agents, who would tell Trujillo and Luna that the guns were for the Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico.
Luna sold 45 guns to the agents, including fully-automatic weapons and tools to convert semi-automatic rifles into automatic weapons, authorities said.
Trujillo was previously sentenced to seven years and three months in prison.