Tucson Man Indicted on Firearm and Cocaine Trafficking Charges

TUCSON, Ariz. – Jesus Antonio Najar, 22, of Tucson, was indicted last week by a federal grand jury for: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; Use/Carrying of a Firearm During a Drug Crime; Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number; and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, specifically a machinegun, a short-barreled rifle, and a silencer.

The indictment alleges that, on April 19, 2024, Tucson Police Department officers apprehended Najar after he was observed driving a stolen vehicle. During a search of the vehicle, officers found a drop in auto sear, a device exclusively used for converting a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic weapon. Officers also found an AR pistol with the manufacturer’s serial number obliterated, and silencers without serial numbers, none of which were registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

The indictment further alleges that, on October 12, 2023, Najar conspired to possess and did possess cocaine with the intent to distribute it, committed drug crimes while using and possessing three firearms, including a machine gun, and possessed a Glock 17 with a machinegun conversion device attached and not registered to him. In addition, Najar is alleged to have possessed an unregistered short-barrel rifle on December 11, 2023.

Convictions for the offenses alleged in the indictment carry the following penalties and fines:

            Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine each carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a fine of        $1,000,000, or both, and a term of between three years and lifetime supervised release.

            Use/Carrying a Firearm During a Drug Crime carries a maximum penalty of life in prison a minimum of five years in prison, to be served consecutively to any other sentence, a fine of $250,000, or both, and a term of not more than five years supervised release.

            Use/Carrying a Firearm During a Drug Crime, where the firearm is a machinegun, carries the same penalties, but with a minimum penalty of no less than 30 years in prison.

            Possession of an Unregistered Firearm carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of $10,000, or both, and a maximum term of three years of supervised release.

            Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both, and a maximum term of three years of supervised release.

An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the Tucson Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie Sottosanti and Adam Rossi, District of Arizona, Tucson, are handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-03292-SHR-LCK
RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-075_Najar

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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