A licensed real estate agent from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a large-scale firearm and drug trafficking operation. Braden Huston Hobbs, 27, admitted to illegally purchasing and selling more than 120 guns to criminals and conspiring to distribute significant quantities of cocaine.
Key Takeaways
- Braden Huston Hobbs, a 27-year-old real estate agent, pleaded guilty to three federal felony charges.
- He illegally acquired and sold over 120 firearms to drug dealers and convicted felons between 2022 and 2023.
- Hobbs also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine.
- The investigation began after guns legally purchased by Hobbs were recovered at crime scenes and during drug raids.
- He faces a potential sentence of several decades in federal prison.
Details of the Guilty Plea
Braden Hobbs entered a guilty plea in federal court, admitting his role in a multifaceted criminal enterprise. The plea covers three distinct federal offenses: conspiracy to traffic firearms, making a materially false statement to a licensed firearms dealer, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
Court documents outline the severity of the charges. For the firearm conspiracy, Hobbs faces up to 15 years in prison. The charge for making false statements during gun purchases carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. The drug trafficking charge is the most severe, with a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison.
A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled by the court. The judge will consider federal sentencing guidelines and the specifics of the case before determining the final length of his imprisonment.
The Firearm Trafficking Operation
According to the plea agreement, Hobbs orchestrated a significant illegal gun-running scheme over a 15-month period. Between March 2022 and June 2023, he purchased more than 120 firearms from three separate federally licensed gun dealers located in Jacksonville.
What Are Straw Purchases?
A "straw purchase" is the illegal act of buying a firearm for someone who is prohibited from owning one, such as a convicted felon or a known drug trafficker. The person making the purchase falsely certifies on federal forms that they are the actual buyer, which is a felony.
Hobbs acted as a straw purchaser, using his clean record to acquire weapons that he then immediately sold on the street. Federal prosecutors stated that Hobbs sold these firearms to individuals he knew were drug dealers, drug traffickers, and convicted felons—people legally barred from owning guns.
Investigators found that Hobbs would often advertise firearms for sale to his illicit customers even before he had completed the legal purchase from the licensed dealers. Payments were made in cash or, in some cases, through trades for illegal drugs. He was assisted by two co-conspirators, Alton Wayne Cope III and Jayden Lance Cope, who helped advertise the weapons and find buyers. Cellphone records confirmed that Jayden Cope was also a regular customer.
Connection to Drug Distribution
The investigation revealed that Hobbs was not only supplying criminals with weapons but was also deeply involved in drug trafficking himself. His criminal activities came into sharper focus following a traffic stop in June of last year.
Jacksonville police arrested Hobbs on suspicion of driving under the influence. A subsequent search of his vehicle uncovered a substantial quantity of narcotics and evidence of drug distribution.
Evidence Seized from Vehicle
- Cocaine: 330 grams
- Adderall: 17 grams
- Other Items: Paraphernalia associated with drug trafficking
This discovery led to state-level charges, including trafficking cocaine, which further supported the federal case against him for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. The evidence demonstrated a clear link between his gun sales and the drug trade.
Expert Analysis on Street-Level Impact
Law enforcement officials began investigating Hobbs after several firearms he had legally purchased were recovered from unrelated crime scenes, including raids on suspected drug houses. This pattern alerted agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to his activities.
Tom Hackney, a crime and safety analyst and former Director of Investigations for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, commented on the broader implications of such schemes.
"This really highlights that burglaries are not the only way guns find their way into the criminal element. It’s a criminal element that is supplying them, and this highlights the nexus between drugs, guns, and violence," Hackney stated.
Hackney emphasized the danger posed by straw purchasers who flood communities with illegal weapons. He noted that with over 120 guns sold to criminals, it is highly probable that some have been used in violent crimes, including homicides. "You have to imagine that of those 120-something guns that he’s accused of buying and selling, there’s got to be more... you’re putting them in the hands of the criminal element. What are they going to use them for? For their intended purposes," he added.
The case against Braden Hobbs serves as a stark example of how a single individual with a legal ability to buy guns can become a primary supplier for a criminal network, directly contributing to violence and drug-related crime in a community.
