SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced Wednesday to a total of 101 months in federal prison for his role in a drug distribution and firearms smuggling operation.
According to the Department of Justice, Jesus Carmona, 37, received 41 months of prison time for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and 60 months of prison time for possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
Carmona is the final defendant that was sentenced in an operation that involved nine others who were being investigated by several agencies focusing on firearms straw purchasing, violent gang activity and drug trafficking within the Duffle Bag Mafia in San Antonio.
The DOJ said Carmona pleaded guilty to the charges in Sept. 26, 2013, admitting that he supplied co-defendants marijuana and cocain in exchange for firearms. Court records state one of the firearms, an AK-47, was used by another member of the Duffle Bag Mafia in a drive-by shooting that took place on April 1, 2012. Two men were killed in that shooting. The gun was then smuggled to the Los Zetas cartel in Mexico, the DOJ said.
"Those who engage in and/or facilitate the straw purchasing and smuggling of weaponry, and related items, will face serious consequence," said Janice Ayala, with Homeland Security Investigations. "HSI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to making communities safer by bringing violent criminals to justice and preventing or seizing firearms before they fall into the hands of transnational criminal organizations who pose a threat to public safety both here and abroad."