U.S. Attorney's Office Secures Guilty Plea in Firearms and Drug Trafficking Scheme

The DOJ announced in a release that an Albuquerque man pled to federal charges of firearm and drug trafficking, including the possession and sale of a machine gun.

According to court documents, on March 1, 2024, Micah Maestas, 20, and two accomplices sold 3 grams of cocaine for $100 and a firearm with an attached machinegun conversion device for $1200 to an undercover officer. Maestas also possessed a second firearm during this drug trafficking offense.

In a subsequent incident on May 9, 2024, Maestas and two others met the undercover officer to sell a rifle for $1100 and offered additional firearms for sale, including firearms with machinegun conversion devices. During this interaction, the buyer claimed to be a felon, yet Maestas proceeded with the transaction.

The final incident occurred on July 3, 2024. Maestas met the undercover officer alone and sold him a firearm fitted with an "Invisible Switch" machinegun conversion device for $1300. Maestas admitted to installing the conversion device himself, knowing it would transform the semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic firearm.

At sentencing, Maestas faces not less than five years and up to 25 years in prison, followed by not less than five years and up to life of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Brendan Iber, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Letitia Carroll Simms is prosecuting the case.

Machine gun conversion devices and auto sears are illegal devices that transform semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic weapons capable of continuous firing with a single trigger pull. The possession, manufacture, and sale of these devices without proper licensing is a federal offense carrying severe penalties, including up to 10 years in prison and fines up to $250,000.

The proliferation of these devices poses an immediate and critical threat to public safety. Between 2018 and 2023, the ATF recovered thousands of machine gun conversion devices, indicating an alarming trend in their availability and use. Violent street gangs are increasingly employing these devices, devastating communities and neighborhoods with unprecedented firepower.

This dramatic increase in illegal automatic weapons puts both civilians and law enforcement at extreme risk. Officers responding to incidents may find themselves severely outgunned, facing weapons capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute. The potential for mass casualties in such encounters is staggering.

Law enforcement agencies are racing against time to intercept these devices before they can be used in violent crimes. Public cooperation is crucial in combating this threat. If you have information about illegal firearms or conversion devices, please contact the ATF immediately:

• Call: 1-888-ATF-Tips (1-888-283-8477)
• Email: ATFTips@atf.gov
• Visit: www.atf.gov/atf-tips

Your tip could save lives and prevent these dangerous weapons from falling into the wrong hands. The time to act is now, before our community fall victim to the devastating impact of these illegal automatic weapons.

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