Tulare County man gets 17 years prison sentence

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by: Alyssa Saldivar

Posted: Oct 16, 2023 / 03:10 PM PDT

Updated: Oct 16, 2023 / 03:10 PM PDT

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KGPE/KSEE) – A man from Tulare County has been sentenced to over 17 years in prison for drug trafficking and firearms offenses, according to the United States Department of Justice on Monday.

The United States Department of Justice says Miguel Deniz, 33, of Farmersville, was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison for possession with the suspicion of intent to distribute methamphetamine, being a felon in possession of firearms, and possession of a machine gun, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced on October 16th.

According to court documents, on May 1, 2019, law enforcement officers say they executed a search warrant at Deniz’s residence and found more than a pound of methamphetamine, an AK-style rifle, a Mossberg pump action shotgun, six handguns, 18 magazines, two handgun silencers, a ballistic vest, thousands of rounds of live ammunition, and firearm accessories.

During the search, law enforcement officers say they also found “auto-sear” devices that are used to convert semi-automatic firearms to fire as fully automatic machine guns. Deniz is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

This United States Department of Justice says 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 gun violence and to make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Additionally, The Department of Justice says this was said to be the product of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the California Department of Justice. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Sanchez prosecuted the case.