TAMPA, Fla. — A Sarasota man who bought dozens of firearms in Southwest Florida and smuggled them into Canada has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison.
Federal prosecutors said Erhan John Er, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven to four years and three months in prison for his role in an international firearms trafficking conspiracy.
Er pleaded guilty in December 2024.
According to court records, Er worked as a cross-border truck driver based in Sarasota and agreed to buy firearms for a co-conspirator in Canada before transporting them across the border.
Between February and September 2022, investigators said Er purchased 28 firearms from licensed dealers in Sarasota and Naples, then smuggled them into Canada. Prosecutors said he received reimbursement for expenses plus 1,000 Canadian dollars for each gun delivered.
Authorities said Canadian investigators have since recovered 10 of those weapons at crime scenes in Ontario and Quebec.
All 10 had obliterated serial numbers, according to prosecutors, but investigators were able to restore the numbers and trace the guns back to Er’s Florida purchases.
Federal officials said Er falsely told gun dealers he was buying the firearms for personal use.
“Er falsely claimed to gun dealers that he was buying guns for himself, only to smuggle the guns into Canada, where they were used in multiple crimes,” U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe said in a statement.
The investigation involved multiple agencies in both the United States and Canada, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and several Canadian law enforcement agencies.
Canadian officials said the case highlights the importance of cross-border coordination in disrupting illegal gun trafficking networks.
“This investigation demonstrates the effectiveness of cross-border partnerships in protecting our communities,” Ontario Provincial Police Chief Superintendent Mike Stoddart said in a statement.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam W. McCall.
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