Department of Justice

BEAUMONT, Texas – A Nacogdoches man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking and firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.

Angel Aguilar, 25, pleaded guilty on July 12, 2022 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Aguilar was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone on April 27, 2023.

According to information presented in court, Aguilar was a member of a drug trafficking organization distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and other narcotics in the Nacogdoches area. During the investigation, law enforcement agents were able to purchase methamphetamine from Aguilar on multiple occasions. During Aguilar's distribution of methamphetamine, he provided a stolen firearm as collateral towards the future purchase of methamphetamine.

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. The defendant faced up to life at sentencing.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Nacogdoches Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald S. Carter.