An Ohio man was sentenced in Florida to 13 years and four months in federal prison for conspiring to traffic firearms, possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and money laundering.
Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario, 29, Cleveland, OH, entered a guilty plea on November 13, 2023.
A co-conspirator, Saleh Yusuf Saleh, 24, Cleveland, OH, was sentenced on November 30, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle to 5 years and eight months’ imprisonment.
Rodriguez Hilario and Saleh were arrested in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 2, 2023, and Rodriguez Hilario was ordered detained.
Read: Orlando Man Gets 21+ Years In Prison After Tampa Casino Parking Garage Carjacking
According to court records, since 2021, undercover agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), posing as Mexican cartel members, were introduced to Rodriguez Hilario because he was a trafficker of firearms that could be smuggled to Mexico.
During the investigation, Rodriguez Hilario and others discussed the purchase of AR-15s and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. One of the co-conspirators described that he sold AR-15s and AK-47s to El Salvadorans, and also had cocaine available for distribution.
Rodriguez Hilario further offered fentanyl to one of the undercover agents to make pills.
Beginning in late 2021, members of the conspiracy sold or arranged the sale of at least 90 rifles and one Mac-10-type machine gun with a silencer to undercover agents in the Middle District of Florida and Cleveland. In November 2022, an undercover agent told Rodriguez Hilario that his associates in Mexico were “battling and losing” and needed to purchase more firearms.
Read: Florida Highway Patrol Trooper, Trapper Save Alligator From Selmon Expressway In Tampa
On March 2, 2023, Rodriguez Hilario arranged to deliver 40 AM-15 multi-caliber firearms to the undercover agents. Saleh, who acquired and assembled the parts to make the firearms, arrived at the meeting with Rodriguez Hilario and the agents. After an undercover agent inspected one of the boxes of firearms, both Rodriguez Hilario and Saleh were arrested.
“Disrupting firearms trafficking schemes like this is a priority for us,” said ATF Tampa Field Division Special Agent in Charge Kirk Howard. “It took a joint team more than two years to investigate this complex case and bring these suspects to justice.”
Help support the Tampa Free Press by making any small donation by clicking here.
Android Users, Click To Download The Tampa Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our free newsletter.