McFarland Man Sentenced for Distributing Methamphetamine and Possessing a Firearm
FRESNO, Calif. — Edgar Hernandez, aka Dopey, 34, of McFarland, was sentenced today to 16 years and six months in prison for possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, on January 17, February 28, and March 6, 2019, Hernandez sold methamphetamine in the McFarland area. Hernandez was arrested on March 6, 2019, and agents seized a .45-caliber handgun and methamphetamine. This is Hernandez’s eighth felony conviction within a 16-year span.
This case was the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the McFarland Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Newman is prosecuting the case.
This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. To learn more about Project Safe Neighborhoods, go to www.justice.gov/psn.
This case was also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see www.justice.gov/projectguardian.
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