ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Marquez Martinez faced a federal judge on Thursday to find out his sentence after investigators found that he bought and sold hundreds of guns over the last four years.
Martinez was in handcuffs as a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agent read him his rights. Her fellow agents searched his brother’s house where Martinez told the agent he occasionally stayed because he was currently homeless.
ATF Agent: “How many guns do you think you’ve purchased? In your…”
Martinez: “I’ve purchased a lot.
ATF Agent: …”In your lifetime? Honestly.
Martinez: “Honestly? A lot.”
That turned out to be hundreds in the four years since Martinez turned 21-years-old.
ATF Agent: “In the past six months, how many do you think you’ve purchased?”
Martinez: “Like, six months?”
ATF Agent: “Mhm.”
Martinez: “Like 50?”
It turned out to be hundreds in four years since Martinez turned 21 years old.
ATF Agent: “In the past six months, how many do you think you’ve purchased?”
Martinez: “Like, six months?”
ATF Agent: “Mhm.”
Martinez: “Like 50?”
ATF Agent: “Okay. And where are those guns at right now?”
Martinez: “I’m — right now I’m hurting for money ’cause I’m homeless. So I kind of just sold a bunch of ’em.”
Martinez told the agent he sold the guns to make a living. Federal agents found those guns on a murder suspect and a 15-year-old at Albuquerque’s West Mesa High School.
ATF Agent: “A 15-year-old at the high school had a loaded one in his backpack. One of your guns.”
Martinez: “One of mine?
ATF Agent: “One of yours”
United States Attorney Alexander Uballez said social media is also to blame here with online beefs leading to a number of shootings. “It’s kind of, as you might imagine, governed by age. So the populations buying guns via social media, are generally younger,” said Uballez.
He also pointed to the large number of illegally sold firearms in our communities. “And not just firearms themselves, which are pervasive in our city at least, but things that make them much more deadly, such as Glock switches, such as extended magazines and drum magazines,” said Uballez.
A federal judge sentenced Martinez to 36 months in prison for the illegal sale of firearms including machine guns and the illegal possession and transfer of machine guns. Once released, he will be subject to three years of supervised release.
