Sandy gang member given 20 years in federal prison for drug, firearm charges

SALT LAKE CITY — A 20-year-old known gang member was sentenced last week to 20 years in prison for attempting to traffic cocaine.

Gregorio Tabarez-Hernandez, aka "Trigger," 20, of Sandy, is a member of the criminal street gang, Florencia 13. He pleaded guilty in September to possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute and possessing a machine gun.

On Nov. 25, U.S. District Court Judge David Barlow sentenced him to 15 years in prison for the drug charge and a consecutive five-year term for the gun charge, plus three years of probation.

The charges stem from an October 2023 search warrant conducted at his residence, where investigators located cocaine, $23,000 in cash and two firearms. One of the firearms was a "Glock 22 .40 caliber handgun equipped with a machine gun conversion device known as a 'switch,'" a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office of Utah said.

In a plea statement filed in federal court, Tabarez-Hernandez said police located the cocaine, cash and two handguns inside a small safe in his bedroom closet. He said the gun with the "switch rendered the firearm fully automatic, meaning that it would discharge multiple rounds of ammunition with a single pull of the trigger."

"I admitted that the safe and everything inside belonged to me. I also admitted that I had been distributing cocaine. I had the gun because I was engaged in a dangerous activity (drug trafficking), and I used the gun to protect my drugs and the proceeds of the sale of those drugs," he said in his plea statement.

Tabarez-Hernandez has a history of firearm offenses, a fact that is consistent with his involvement in Florencia 13, the U.S. Attorney's Office of Utah said.

"We are thankful for the hard work that the investigators put into this case," said Sandy Police Chief Greg Severson. "We are appreciative of our partnerships with local and federal agencies in taking this individual off our streets."

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