A Chicago resident, Hugo Pinzon, was sentenced on April 2 to nine years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug and firearm charges. Law enforcement found fentanyl, cocaine, and 17 firearms during a court-authorized search of his Wicker Park home in April 2024.
The case highlights the dangers posed by drug trafficking combined with illegal gun possession. Authorities said that Pinzon’s actions included distributing significant amounts of narcotics while being prohibited from owning firearms due to a prior felony conviction.
During the search, officers also discovered a money-counting machine, a digital scale used for weighing drugs, and $95,456 in cash believed to be proceeds from narcotics sales. Investigators determined that earlier in 2024 Pinzon had sold drugs three times to an individual cooperating with law enforcement.
Pinzon pleaded guilty last year. The sentence was issued by U.S. District Judge John F. Kness. The announcement came from Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago. The Carpentersville Police Department also assisted with the investigation.
“Distribution of narcotics, particularly cocaine and fentanyl, is a very serious offense,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey S. Snell said in the government’s sentencing memorandum. “These addictive drugs destroy lives and shatter families. In addition to the narcotics defendant kept in his house, he also kept an array of 17 firearms, knowing that he had previously been convicted of a felony and was not permitted to possess a firearm.”
The case underscores ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address both drug distribution and illegal firearm possession.
