Erhan John Er of Sarasota was sentenced Thursday to 52 months in federal prison on international firearms trafficking conspiracy charges after he bought firearms from dealers in Naples and Sarasota to be smuggled into Canada.

Er, 35, 35, Sarasota, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven for his role in an international firearms trafficking conspiracy. He pleaded guilty on December 19, 2024.

According to court documents, from February to September 2022, Er worked as a cross-border truck driver, based in Sarasota. He agreed to purchase firearms for a Canadian co-conspirator and smuggle those firearms into Canada. In July and September 2022, Er bought a total of 28 guns from firearms dealers in Sarasota and Naples.

He took the firearms across the Canadian border and sold them to his conspirator in exchange for his expenses and $1,000 (CAD) per gun.

Canadian investigators have recovered 10 of those firearms from crime scenes in Ontario and Quebec. All of the firearms recovered have had obliterated serial numbers. Investigators have restored the serial numbers and traced them back to Er’s purchases in Florida.

“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,” stated U.S. Attorney Kehoe. “Working together with our local, federal, and international partners, this scheme was uncovered and Er has been brought to justice.”

WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.