Hector Aguirre, a 28-year-old resident of Caldwell, has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison. Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott announced the sentence, citing charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Court records reveal that Aguirre was stopped by officers in June 2023, who discovered he had escaped supervision by the Idaho Department of Correction’s Probation and Parole. A search of his vehicle uncovered a loaded firearm and 66 fentanyl pills. Aguirre's previous drug-related felony convictions prohibit him from possessing firearms, and further investigation identified him as a member of the Norteño gang.
Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott praised the efforts of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Caldwell Police Department for their roles in the investigation. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kane Venecia led the prosecution.
The case was handled by a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney employed through the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with funding from the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program. HIDTA is a counterdrug grant program sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which supports multi-agency drug enforcement efforts.
This prosecution aligns with Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that unites various law enforcement agencies and community groups to reduce violent crime and gun violence. The Department of Justice launched an updated violent crime reduction strategy for PSN on May 26, 2021, which aims to build trust in communities, support violence prevention efforts, prioritize strategic law enforcement, and evaluate effectiveness. More information about Project Safe Neighborhoods is available at Justice.gov/PSN.
