CAPE GIRARDEAU (News First) — U.S. District Judge John A. Ross handed down a 12-year prison sentence on Monday to Daniel T. Aguilar, a previously-convicted felon found in possession of stolen firearms, additional weapons, and methamphetamine.
Aguilar, 39, residing in Cape Girardeau, had pleaded guilty in September to four felonies, including possession of stolen firearms, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms.
The charges stem from Aguilar’s admission to breaking into a Jackson, Missouri storage unit on September 30, 2022, where he stole a Maverick 12-gauge shotgun and an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 pistol. Subsequently, on January 10, 2023, the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force received information that Aguilar had methamphetamine, a pistol, and stolen property in his residence.
Detectives observed Aguilar removing license plates from his Toyota Scion and transferring them to an SUV with expired plates. He then drove away in the SUV, prompting the Missouri State Highway Patrol to conduct a stop, revealing 42 grams of methamphetamine inside. A subsequent court-approved search of Aguilar’s home and vehicle uncovered 14 grams of meth hidden in a couch cushion, stolen property, bolt cutters, and two handguns concealed in a speaker box in the trunk of his vehicle. The two stolen guns were later recovered from his girlfriend’s residence.
Aguilar, with five prior felony convictions, including carjacking, was on probation for state charges at the time of committing these federal offenses.
The investigation was conducted collaboratively by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Shelton prosecuted the case.
