MIAMI — A federal jury in Fort Pierce convicted a Honduran national, who was illegally in the United States, for his role in a firearms-trafficking operation that purchased firearms in South Florida through straw buyers and smuggled them to Honduras.

The jury convicted Luis Matute Figueroa, 33, of Lake Worth, of conspiracy and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release Monday.

Matute Figueroa overstayed a tourist visa in 2017 and remained in the U.S. without lawful status, the DOJ said.

According to investigators, WhatsApp messages recovered during the investigation revealed that Matute Figueroa provided co-conspirators with firearm inventories, pricing information and shipping instructions for weapons destined for Honduras. The messages also contained a photograph and a video of Matute Figueroa in possession of a distinctive gold Colt 1911 pistol.

"This defendant exploited his unlawful presence in the United States to help traffic American firearms to Honduras," U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said in the news release. "This verdict reflects our commitment to dismantling international gun-trafficking networks and prosecuting illegal aliens who unlawfully possess and export firearms."

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Matute Figueroa conspired with Gerson Eliu Padilla-Figueroa, Juan Matute Figueroa, Ariel Henriquez-Padilla, and William Mendoza to acquire firearms in the U.S. through straw purchases and illegally export them to Honduras, the DOJ said.

Matute Figueroa faces up to five years in federal prison on the conspiracy count and up to 15 years in prison on the firearm possession count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The ATF Miami Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations Miami are investigating the case, with assistance from the Broward Sheriff's Office, the Martin County Sheriff's Office, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Huyler is prosecuting the case.

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