Savannah Man Gets 46 Months in Federal Prison for Shipping Guns to Honduras
SAVANNAH, Georgia – A federal judge has sentenced a Honduran man who lived in Savannah to 46 months in prison for receiving firearms and shipping guns and gun parts while in the country illegally. The Savannah federal firearms sentence will be followed by immediate deportation.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge R. Stan Baker imposed the sentence on 31-year-old Jefferson Flores-Padilla, a citizen of Honduras. Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced it. Flores-Padilla had pleaded guilty to Receipt of a Firearm by an Illegal Alien and Shipping Firearms by an Illegal Alien. There is no parole in the federal system.
What court documents say
According to court documents and testimony, Flores-Padilla and co-defendant 38-year-old Sindi Mencias-Escobar, also a citizen of Honduras, entered the United States illegally and settled in Savannah. Federal law barred both from buying firearms.
On multiple occasions in 2023, Flores-Padilla asked an acquaintance to buy numerous firearms for him, including AR-15s and Glock pistols. Honduran authorities later recovered some of those guns during law enforcement operations in that country.
In early 2024, law enforcement authorities in Miami seized and searched a suspicious package headed for Honduras. They found firearms and firearms parts hidden inside. Flores-Padilla’s fingerprints turned up on the packaging materials, and further investigation showed he and Mencias-Escobar had shipped the package from the Savannah area.
Mencias-Escobar already has been sentenced in the case. She pleaded guilty to Misprision of a Felony, and the court referred her to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for immediate deportation.
Federal law makes it illegal for anyone who is in the United States illegally or unlawfully to ship, transport, receive or possess any firearm or ammunition.
Officials respond
“The illegal acquisition and trafficking of firearms poses a direct threat to public safety, both at home and abroad,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “By intercepting these dangerous weapons before they could be smuggled out of our country, law enforcement successfully disrupted a dangerous pipeline. This sentence serves as a clear reminder that our office, along with our federal partners, will continue to vigorously enforce laws that keep firearms out of the hands of those who are unlawfully present in the United States.”
Jose R. Figueroa, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, also commented.
“Firearms trafficking endangers communities and undermines the rule of law,” said Figueroa. “HSI and our law enforcement partners in the United States and abroad will continue to identify and investigate those who illegally acquire and move weapons across borders. This sentence reflects our shared commitment to protecting the public, enforcing federal firearms laws, and ensuring that those who threaten the safety of our communities are held accountable.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, HSI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy P. Dean of the Southern District of Georgia prosecuted it.
Other recent federal gun cases in Georgia include a Riverdale man sentenced to more than 8 years in federal prison after officers found a stolen gun during an I-75 traffic stop.
