TAMPA, Florida — Ricardo Fermin Sune-Giron, a 34-year-old from Guatemala, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, firearms trafficking, dealing in firearms without a license, and possessing firearms as an illegal alien. He faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison for the conspiracy and each possession offense, and up to 5 years for dealing in firearms without a license, according to the United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.
Between 2023 and April 2024, Sune-Giron was involved in a transnational firearms trafficking operation, recruiting straw purchasers to illegally buy firearms, including Glocks, rifles, and AK-47s, from federal firearms licensees across Florida. These firearms were then smuggled overseas to countries such as the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Thousands of firearms were trafficked during this period, with several later recovered at crime scenes, stated the source.
On April 18, 2024, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations executed three coordinated search warrants at residences in the Orlando area. At Sune-Giron’s residence, agents recovered more than 50 firearms, ammunition, money counters, and approximately $16,000 in U.S. currency. At the time, Sune-Giron was living in the United States illegally under an assumed name…