A Ponte Vedra Beach man has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison after investigators say he illegally purchased and resold more than 100 firearms while also trafficking cocaine and other controlled substances.
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Braden Hobbs, 28, was sentenced on charges of conspiracy to traffic firearms, making a materially false statement to a licensed firearms dealer, and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Investigation uncovered 121 illegal gun purchases
The investigation into Hobbs began after agents learned several firearms he had purchased turned up in separate law enforcement investigations. Those guns were recovered from the homes of drug dealers and a convicted felon.
Between March 2022 and June 2024, Hobbs purchased at least 121 firearms from three federally licensed firearms dealers in Jacksonville. Of those, 67 were purchased in just the first six months of 2024. Hobbs then sold those firearms to others — and on multiple occasions, he advertised guns for sale before he had even acquired them from a dealer.
Customers typically paid Hobbs in cash, though he also traded drugs for firearms. Hobbs was aware that some of his customers intended to resell the guns, were drug users or were drug distributors. He also enlisted co-conspirators to help find buyers, and they advertised his firearms on his behalf.
Hobbs told others that he “deal[s]” in firearms, boasting that he was “Mr. Cocaine addict firearms trafficker.” Records indicated he made more than $200,000 in illegal proceeds in less than 36 months.
False statements on federal forms
Despite being in the business of dealing firearms, Hobbs was not a federally licensed firearms dealer — a requirement under federal law. Each time he purchased a firearm from a licensed dealer, he was required to complete an ATF Form 4473, on which he falsely indicated that he was the actual buyer of the firearms and that he was not a user of or addicted to controlled substances.
Both statements were false. Hobbs purchased the firearms with the intent to resell them, and he was a habitual user and distributor of controlled substances — including more than 500 grams of cocaine and Adderall.
Drugs and firearms sales often went hand in hand
Hobbs routinely advertised controlled substances for sale and frequently sold drugs to the same people he was selling guns to.
On June 26, 2024, Hobbs was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on charges of driving under the influence and cocaine trafficking. During a search of his car, officers recovered more than 200 grams of cocaine, 17 grams of Adderall and various items used to package and distribute controlled substances.
Co-conspirators also sentenced
Two co-conspirators were also prosecuted in connection with the case.
Alton Cope III was sentenced to four years and three months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and conspiring to deal in firearms without a license.
Jayden Cope was sentenced to six years for conspiring to deal in firearms without a license and unlawful receipt of a firearm after being indicted. Undercover agents had purchased 11 firearms from the two Copes, and cellphone records confirmed that Jayden Cope regularly purchased firearms from Hobbs.