From left: Gary Hancock (24) and Jesus Zepeda (29)
A pair of Shawano men were arrested by the United States Marshals Service after guns that were seized at the Mexican border were discovered to be purchased in Green Bay.
The two men, 24-year-old Gary Hancock and 29-year-old Jesus Zepeda, face charges for transferring a registered weapon to an out-of-state resident, transferring a weapon to a felon, transferring a weapon to an illegal alien and transferring a firearm to be used in a drug trafficking crime.
The charges stem from two years of investigations after boarder patrol agents discovered and seized 16 weapons from a truck crossing from Mexico into the United States, according to the indictment. The guns were disassembled and hidden in the vehicle.
Investigators were able to trace two of the guns to Hancock, who admitted to working with Zepeda to buying guns that were used for a drug and firearm trafficking ring in California.
Court documents show one of weapons was purchased in 2013 at the Green Bay Gun Show while the others were bought at Gander Mountain.
The two men allegedly received around $500 from the trafficking group for each transaction.
Another witness, 24-year-old Joshua Natzke of Bonduel who was not named in the indictment, admitted to investigators that the Hancock and Zepeda would also receive 200 pounds of high-grade marijuana, which would be sold throughout the region.
Natzke was arrested in February and faces multiple drug charges in Shawano County Court. Court documents also say that Natzke would buy marijuana from Hancock and Zepeda.
The two men could be sentenced to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.