Kevin Murphy, Leader Correspondent
Two Shawano men pleaded guilty this week in federal court to buying semiautomatic firearms for drug dealers in California.
Jesus “Chuy” S. Zepeda, 29, and Gary W. Hancock, 24, pleaded guilty to making false statements on Feb. 7, 2014, when Hancock bought a 7.62 mm rifle at a Gander Mountain store in Green Bay. The men represented that Hancock was to be the owner of the gun when in fact it was intended for drug dealers who were later apprehended with the rifle and other firearms while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
According the plea agreement filed in court, Hancock met two men from the San Francisco area at a party at Zepeda’s house in 2013. They were speaking to another man in Spanish. Zepeda later asked Hancock to buy three guns for the California men, whom had given Zepeda money for the firearms.
In December 2013, Zepeda drove Hancock to a gun show where he bought a rife from a federally licensed firearms dealer, according to court documents. Zepeda gave the rifle to the Californians and gave Hancock $50. After a second purchase at Gander Mountain, Zepeda gave Hancock $200 for buying a rifle.
On Feb. 14, 2014, Hancock bought a third firearm, a 9 mm pistol, in Green Bay. Hancock gave it to Zepeda, who gave Hancock $200.
According to court documents, Zepeda arranged for Hancock to purchase the weapons because Hancock was not a felon or otherwise prohibited from buying firearms.
Zepeda told authorities that he knew one of the three buyers was from Mexico and believed that Hancock also knew this. Zepeda said he assumed that the Mexican citizen could not possess a firearm in the U.S. and believed that Hancock also knew this.
Zepeda said he acted as an intermediary for the firearms purchases because of language barriers.
Hancock told authorities that he knew he was a “straw buyer” for the weapons he purchased for the three men.
The firearms were seized in August 2015 with 13 other guns when authorities detained a vehicle crossing from Arizona to Mexico. Two firearms were traced back to Hancock. The other guns were purchased by several people in other states.
Authorities subsequently learned that Hancock had allegedly also supplied at least one firearm that was seized in August 2014 during a search warrant on a Santa Rosa, California, residence where marijuana and other weapons had been seized.
Zepeda and Hancock each were charged with conspiring to violate federal firearms laws and three counts of making false statements in connection with purchasing firearms.
In exchange for their pleas to one count, government prosecutors will seek dismissal of the other counts and recommend leniency.
The defendants face maximum penalties of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
Hancock is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 17. Zepeda is to be sentenced Dec. 18.
Authorities also interviewed a third party who has not been federally indicted in the case, but is one of 10 people charged in connection with a Shawano County drug smuggling conspiracy that allegedly involved transporting marijuana between California and Wisconsin.
According to the criminal complaint, Zepeda asked this party if he would sell marijuana. He also told authorities Zepeda was accompanied by three other people who “came from California to traffic large amounts of marijuana with Zepeda’s knowledge,” according to the complaint.
He also told authorities that Zepeda, Hancock and the California subjects were taking marijuana stored in Zepeda’s attic and distributing it in Chicago and Ohio, and that on one occasion Zepeda and Hancock were paid $10,000 to bring 200 pounds of marijuana back to Shawano from California.
Authorities have called it one of the largest drug conspiracy cases ever seen in Shawano County.