ALBUQUERQUE — United States Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that, yesterday afternoon in federal court in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Guillermo Medel, also known as “Moreno,” a 29–year–old Albuquerque resident, was sentenced to a 100–month term of imprisonment to be followed by a three–year term of supervised release based on his conviction for being a felon in possession of firearms.
Medel was one of 32 defendants indicted on federal and state firearms offenses in June 2010 as part of Operation Jokerz Traderz, a long–term investigation designed to remove unlawfully possessed firearms from the streets of Albuquerque, and to target and prosecute felons in possession of such firearms. During the investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) operated an undercover store–front in Albuquerque, also aptly named “Jokerz Traderz.” ATF operated “Jokerz Traderz” as a thrift store at 1309 San Mateo Blvd. NE. Undercover agents purchased a variety of firearms from a substantial number of individuals, most of whom were later arrested as part of the operation. In total, 230 firearms were removed from the streets of Albuquerque never to be used again for any unlawful purpose.
Medel sold 12 different firearms to undercover agents between January 13, 2010 and May 5, 2010, including a fully automatic Romanian Style AK–47 machine–gun. Medel was prohibited from possessing firearms because he previously had been convicted of felony crimes, specifically, Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance. The indictment charged Medel with 11 counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of Unlawful Possession of a Machine–gun.
Medel was arrested on July 13, 2010 and has been in federal custody since that time. On October 28, 2010, Medel pled guilty to every count in the twelve–count indictment.
Assistant United States Reeve L. Swainston prosecuted the case, which was investigated by ATF.
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