Three Florida men involved in a gun trafficking conspiracy that funneled over 100 firearms, including pistols and rifles, out of the country, have been sentenced to federal prison.
Matthew L. Stephen Easton, 35, of Melrose, received a sentence of 11 years and 8 months for firearms trafficking. Ernesto Vazquez, 23, of Kissimmee, and Derick Yamir Perez Diaz, 22, of Orlando, were each sentenced to 11 years for conspiracy to traffic firearms. All three men had previously entered guilty pleas.
According to court documents and plea agreements, the conspiracy involved Easton, a federally licensed firearms dealer, knowingly supplying large quantities of firearms to Perez Diaz, despite being aware that Perez Diaz was not licensed to deal firearms.
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Perez Diaz then trafficked these weapons to Vazquez. Vazquez subsequently sold the firearms to an individual who smuggled them outside the United States.
The operation, which occurred between October and December 2023, involved the trafficking of more than 100 firearms, which consisted of Glock pistols and AK-47 style rifles.
Further investigation revealed that Vazquez and Perez Diaz also admitted to trafficking machinegun conversion devices, which are illegal devices used to convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic machineguns.
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The investigation culminated in a search warrant executed by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) at Vazquez’s Kissimmee residence on April 18, 2024. During the search, agents discovered multiple firearms, significant stockpiles of ammunition, and grenades, highlighting the dangerous nature of the operation.
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