BALTIMORE — A Honduran national who was in the country without proper documentation was sentenced Friday for an attempted murder-for-hire plot.

Frelin Hernandez-Guardado, 30, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and murder for hire, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

Previously, Hernandez-Guardado was deported twice but managed to reenter the country, according to the release.

“My client, who came here only to seek a better life, got unfortunately involved in drugs and alcohol, became addicted to drugs and alcohol and made a lot of bad decisions,” said Richard Bittner, Hernandez-Guardado’s attorney. “He’s been in custody for about five years. During that time, he’s gotten himself in treatment. He’s embraced religion, and he’s working to be rehabilitated.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that in December 2021, police made arrests in an investigation of a local drug trafficking network. After the arrests, Hernandez-Guardado told a police source that he planned to kill someone he believed was working with law enforcement. He also offered to sell the police source discounted cocaine in exchange for help committing the murder.

In January 2022, Hernandez-Guardado and a police source left his Virginia home with more than 900 grams of cocaine he planned to sell, at a discount, to another police source in exchange for help with the murder. Law enforcement stopped and arrested Hernandez-Guardado in Maryland before he could follow through on the plan.

The office also said Hernandez-Guardado sold firearms twice to people who were working with law enforcement. Federal law prohibits people who are in the country illegally from possessing firearms.

After serving his sentence, Hernandez-Guardado will be deported back to Honduras, separating him from his 6-year-old son, according to Bittner.

“He’s going to serve a long time in jail, but he’s remorseful and hoping for a better life in the future back in Honduras,” Bittner said.

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