Oregon — A 42-year-old man was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for participating in a conspiracy to traffic firearms from Portland to Mexico, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
Hugo Alberto Roman Aparicio also received three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty May 22 to conspiracy to traffic firearms. Federal prosecutors identified Roman Aparicio as a Mexican national unlawfully present in the United States.
According to court documents, Roman Aparicio and other participants planned to smuggle 12 firearms into Mexico. The weapons were hidden in the spare-tire compartment of a vehicle obtained by Roman Aparicio.
The conspirators arranged for a courier to leave the firearms with another participant in California, who was expected to complete the trip into Mexico, prosecutors said.
Investigators believe the firearms were intended for criminal cartels. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the conspirators hoped supplying the guns would impress a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization and lead to the group receiving illegal drugs to sell in Oregon.
Drug Enforcement Administration task force officers, assisted by the California Highway Patrol, located and stopped the courier in California before the planned transfer occurred. Officers searched the vehicle and found the firearms concealed in its spare-tire area.
Authorities seized the 12 firearms, which were subsequently forfeited.
A federal grand jury in Portland returned a two-count superseding indictment against Roman Aparicio on Nov. 26, 2024. The indictment charged him with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to traffic firearms. His guilty plea covered the firearm-trafficking charge.
The investigation involved the DEA, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Tigard Police Department, Sherwood Police Department and California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul T. Maloney and James Kilcup prosecuted the case.
The prosecution was part of the federal Homeland Security Task Force initiative, which targets cartels, transnational criminal organizations, foreign gangs, human smugglers and trafficking networks.
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