HSI, federal partner investigation secure federal grand jury indictment against Mexican national charged with smuggling firearms into Mexico

DEL RIO, Texas – A federal grand jury in Del Rio returned an indictment prior to the week of Dec. 21, 2022, charging a Mexican national with conspiring and attempting to smuggle firearms and ammunition into Mexico from the United States. This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

According to court documents, Jose Jesus Hernandez-Valle, 54, conspired with others to smuggle a 9mm pistol, a .40 caliber pistol, and more than 200 rounds of ammunition and other related firearm accessories into Mexico.

The firearms were discovered and seized CBP at the Del Rio International Port of Entry on Nov. 2. Hernandez-Valle is charged with one count of conspiracy to smuggle goods from the U.S. and one count of smuggling goods from the U.S. The defendant is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Dec. 29, 2022 before a federal judge.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy count and 10 years in prison for the smuggling goods count.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Bird and Alex Brown, Western District of Texas, are prosecuting the case.

HSI is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 6,800 special agents assigned to 225 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.