Ocean County Man Gets 6 ½ Years for Stolen Gun Trafficking

Trenton, N.J. — An Ocean County man has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for transporting a stolen firearm after an investigation into firearm trafficking into New Jersey from Texas, Maryland, and other locations.

26-year-old Luiz Vargas, also known as "El Biggie," of Jackson, was sentenced last week in Trenton federal court following his May 26th guilty plea to transportation of a stolen firearm.

Controlled Buys, Stolen Guns, and Cocaine

Federal authorities said beginning in January 2025, investigators used a source to conduct four controlled purchases of firearms from Vargas, yielding eight weapons total, two semiautomatic rifles and six handguns.

Two of the handguns were reported stolen out of Texas and Colorado. The two rifles had no serial numbers or identifying markings.

On at least one occasion, when Vargas couldn't deliver on a promised firearm sale, he provided cocaine to the confidential source instead.

He has never held a federal license to deal or manufacture firearms.

The case was investigated by the FBI in Newark, with assistance from ICE ERO Newark and multiple local law enforcement agencies across Ocean and Monmouth Counties.

Vargas was also sentenced to three years of supervised release following his prison term.

Chris Coleman is a South Jersey native and has been a cornerstone of the Atlantic City radio market since 1998. He serves as Brand Manager for WPG Talk Radio 95.5 and afternoon on-air personality for WPUR Cat Country 107.3. A five-time President's Circle award winner and Townsquare Media's 2024 Content Creator of the Year, Chris covers news, events, and stories of interest across Southern New Jersey. Story tips: chris.coleman@townsquaremedia.com.