Federal authorities have thwarted a large-scale gun-trafficking operation designed to supply Mexican drug cartels with more than 100 “military-style” firearms, according to court documents.
On March 20, five men were arrested for illegally purchasing weapons across Texas and smuggling them across the border.
“These firearms include the FNH SCAR rifle, Barrett .50 caliber rifle, FNH M294S rifle, and M1919 rifle, all of which are highly valued by Mexican drug trafficking cartels for their firepower and battlefield reliability. ,” the federal criminal complaint states.
“They have become a symbol of profit, power and prestige for the cartels, due in part to the high prices they cost to purchase and operate…Mexican drug trafficking cartels use these weapons to engage their enemies and They control the territory they claim.”
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Federal authorities have seized high-powered firearms and ammunition linked to a gun-trafficking organization that in the past provided weapons to violent drug cartels in Mexico. (Ministry of Justice)
Gerardo Rafael Perez Jr. is the alleged mastermind of an operation aimed at arming cartels in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
According to the criminal complaint, four straw buyers, identified as Gerardo Ybarra Jr., Gerardo Corona Jr., Francisoc Alejandro Benavidez and Mark Anthony Trevino Jr., were arrested in West, South and West Texas. It is said that the weapons were illegally secured in the northern area.
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Straw purchasing of firearms is the illegal act of purchasing a gun for someone who is prohibited from owning a weapon or who does not want their name associated with the transaction.
It will become a crime in 2022 after a bipartisan gun safety bill authored by Sen. John Cornyn of Texas passes and takes effect.
Mexican marines escort five suspected Zetas drug traffickers in front of an RPG-7 rocket launcher, and grenades, firearms, cocaine and military uniforms are seized from suspected Zetas drug cartel members on June 9. presented to the press. In 2011, he served as Secretary of the Navy in Mexico City. Guns flowing into Mexico from the United States are helping arms cartels. (Yuri Cortes/AFP via Getty Images)
Straw’s buyers allegedly purchased the guns from unlicensed dealers, including Jose Emigdio Mendoza, who is named as a defendant in the complaint.
Luis Matias Real, known by nicknames such as “Huicho,” “Poncho,” and “El Tio,” is said to have financed the operation, while Antonio Osiel Casares smuggled the guns into Mexico. , allegedly returned to the United States “with a large amount of cash.” on court documents.
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According to the criminal complaint, Mendoza is accused of selling at least 22 guns for $169,900 between December 2022 and March 2023.
The scheme began to unravel in late January 2023, when federal firearms licensees in San Antonio rejected the sale, citing “suspicious circumstances surrounding the attempted purchase,” according to court documents.
Read the full federal complaint
Mendoza, who is said to have sold the gun, was arrested and charged in March last year, along with two others, Ibarra and Corona, who are said to have purchased the straw.
Perez Jr., the alleged ringleader, and Casares, who is suspected of smuggling guns across the border, were arrested in Laredo, Texas, last September, and law enforcement found a large amount of weapons and more than hundreds of rounds of ammunition. did.
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The suspects, all under the age of 30, face 14 federal charges.
If convicted, the gun trafficking conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, and the straw purchase gun conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
