WORCESTER, MA — A Worcester man with two prior drug convictions is facing federal charges connected to the sale of firearms and ammunition.
Onix Aviles, 25, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Worcester on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition and one count of dealing in firearms without a license, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
Prosecutors said Aviles sold guns and ammunition without a license on Apr. 16 and May 1. The firearms included a privately manufactured gun, according to charging documents.
Prosecutors arrested him and initially charged him in May.
This comes some years after Aviles was convicted in 2021 of possessing crack cocaine with intent to distribute and sentenced to 90 days in jail, according to prosecutors. He was also sentenced to 30 days in jail after a 2020 conviction for distributing heroin.
Dealing in firearms without a license carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and each felon-in-possession charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years. All three charges also carry up to three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Worcester police and Massachusetts State Police investigated the case with assistance from several other agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O'Shea of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
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