A Venezuelan national, whom prosecutors identified as a suspected member of the Tren de Aragua street gang, received an 18-month sentence after admitting to selling firearms to undercover ATF agents in Chicago last summer, according to court records. Jose Vasquez Hernandez, 31, however, did not serve time in prison, as the state applied a standard 50% sentence reduction and credited him for time already spent in the Cook County Jail.
The case originated in the spring of 2025, when an informant collaborating with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives began discussions with a man to organize a gun sale in Chicago, as alleged by prosecutors. This investigation was part of a broader effort aimed at suspected members of the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua gang, officials stated at that time.
Prosecutors indicated that the informant set up a gun transaction to occur near 16th Street and Homan Avenue on July 10 of the previous year, where Vasquez Hernandez arrived, presenting himself as the other gun dealer’s “associate.”
Allegedly, Vasquez Hernandez told the agents and informant in Spanish, “I’m the other supplier, the one who gets these things.” He then guided them to a garage, pulled out a red bag, and reiterated, “I’m the one who gets this,” before unveiling a .556 rifle and a 7.62 rifle, both priced at $3,800, according to prosecutors. The gun sale was reportedly documented on video and audio.
Authorities also claimed Vasquez Hernandez discussed supplying “Tusi,” a synthetic drug blend sometimes referred to as “pink cocaine,” stating he could provide it, although he never completed any drug sales and was not charged with narcotics offenses.
Despite the involvement of federal investigators, Vasquez Hernandez faced only state charges for delivering a firearm without a license and aggravated possession of a weapon. He admitted guilt to one of the delivery charges in exchange for an 18-month sentence from Judge Thomas Byrne, which was fully served through the state’s automatic 50% sentence reduction and time already spent in custody.
When Cook County Judge Luciano Panici Jr. detained Vasquez Hernandez last summer, he stated that detention was partly necessary because Vasquez Hernandez was considered a “member of a transnational criminal organization.” Prosecutors previously described him as a Venezuelan citizen who was “not a legal resident of the United States.”
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