Boston Man Sentenced for Hiding Guns in Air Conditioner Shipped to DR
A Boston man has been sentenced for hiding handguns and ammunition in an air conditioning unit bound for the Dominican Republic, according to El Nuevo Diario.
Key points
- Alexis Lara Herrera, 28, was sentenced to eight months in federal prison.
- Authorities found four Glock pistols and 500 rounds of ammunition inside an air conditioning unit.
- The shipping container was headed to the Dominican Republic and its manifest listed household items.
- Lara Herrera pleaded guilty in May to failing to file the required export information.
A Boston resident has been sentenced to eight months in federal prison after being found guilty of illegally attempting to ship firearms to the Dominican Republic, according to El Nuevo Diario. The case came to light when authorities discovered four Glock pistols and 500 rounds of ammunition hidden inside an air conditioning unit traveling in a shipping container.
The convicted man is Alexis Lara Herrera, 28. According to El Nuevo Diario, he pleaded guilty in May to failing to file the export information required by law for this type of shipment.
Prosecutors said the container's manifest listed only household items. However, the investigation determined that the shipment had left from Boston and that the weapons were concealed inside the cooling equipment.
According to the same source, authorities also examined Lara Herrera's phone. They found text messages, a photo of several firearms, and conversations about other possible arms shipments. Among those messages was a discussion of a new shipment, even after the first one had been seized.
Lara Herrera also faces deportation proceedings, according to prosecutors.
Why it matters
The case shows how firearms are smuggled out of the United States through concealed shipments, a security concern for both countries. Lara Herrera also faces deportation proceedings.