San Juan Man Sentenced To Prison For Possessing Grenades & Firearms
Wednesday, December 4, 2024, 8:20 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
MCALLEN, TX.- Yesterday, a 26-year-old San Juan, Texas, man and self-proclaimed member of the Westside gang discovered he would be spending the next decade in federal prison for possessing grenades and firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, Jamez Aaron Sandoval, 26, of San Juan, Texas, appeared in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Randy Crane to 120 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release for his previously entered guilty plea to federal firearms offenses.
Sandoval appeared in U.S. District Court on September 19, 2024, and pleaded guilty to Possession of a Destructive Device; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.
Judge Crane Noted Sandoval’s Social Media Post
According to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani, during a hearing, the court learned that Sandoval attempted to make a homemade grenade, carried a handgun during a grenade transaction, and had recorded himself firing fully automatic weapons. In handing down on Tuesday, Judge Crane noted that Sandoval promoted violence with his social media post of an individual firing a firearm equipped with a machinegun conversion device toward law enforcement officers.
On August 1, 2024, investigators arrested Sandoval after he purchased two grenade-style destructive devices from an undercover ATF agent. Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives obtained and executed a court-authorized search warrant at Sandoval’s residence. During the search, agents found cocaine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, as well as several firearms.
Sandoval had previously sold an undercover agent machinegun conversion devices before asking to purchase the grenades. Further investigation uncovered that Sandoval utilized a firearm located in his home for protection during drug trafficking activities. Sandoval will remain in custody pending transfer to the Bureau of Prisons to begin serving his term of 120 months of imprisonment.
