LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Shelbyville man was sentenced to five years in federal prison for illegally buying dozens of guns and attempting to smuggle them to Honduras.
Luis Garcia, 29, was sentenced Aug. 6. He will also serve three years of supervised release after his prison sentence.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky, Garcia worked with others to illegally buy and sell guns from April 2021 to January 2024.
During that time, Garcia bought 83 guns from firearms dealers in Hardin, Jefferson and Nelson counties. Prosecutors said he falsely claimed he was the actual buyer each time he purchased a gun.
Investigators said the guns were being illegally shipped from the U.S. to Honduras.
In November 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a package headed to Honduras after an X-ray showed something unusual inside.
Agents searched the package and found seven guns and magazines hidden inside a DeWalt planer packed in a larger box with household items.
Garcia was sentenced for conspiracy to deal firearms without a license, dealing firearms without a license, attempted smuggling of firearms from the United States and making false statements while purchasing a firearm.
There is no parole in the federal prison system.
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