Two Orlando Men Indicted In Gun Trafficking Conspiracy

Orlando, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Ernesto Vazquez (23, Orlando) and Derick Yamir Perez Diaz (22, Orlando) with federal firearms trafficking related offenses, including conspiracy to traffic firearms, firearms trafficking, and dealing in firearms without a license. If convicted on all counts, Vazquez and Perez Diaz each face a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. 

According to the indictment, Vazquez and Perez Diaz engineered a gun-trafficking conspiracy that resulted in the distribution of over 100 firearms, including machine guns, into the Middle District of Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Vazquez and his co-conspirators acquired firearms from private sellers, federal firearms licensees (FFLs), and Chinese manufacturers. The majority of the gun deals occurred in public places. Perez Diaz carried trunks full of firearms to the meeting locations.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant at Vazquez’s residence. Inside they found multiple firearms, stockpiles of ammunition, and grenades.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Noah P. Dorman.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.