News Releases and Statements

Luis Cortez-Garcia and Emiliano Cortez-Garcia are accused of illegally manufacturing and selling firearms; conspiracy; and several criminal counts involving the unlawful possession, manufacture and sale of short-barreled rifles, machine guns and silencers.

After obtaining the ammunition, Garcia-Ugarte left the parking lot and was pulled over by a Laredo Police Department (LPD) patrol officer for a traffic violation. The officer reported Garcia-Ugarte spoke only Spanish and did not possess a driver's license or any identification.

Ernesto Salgado-Guzman was part of a scheme to purchase more than 400 guns in Madera, and sell them to various individuals in Oaxaca, Mexico. During the probe, 85 of the firearms were seized - 54 in Mexico and 31 in Madera.

James Terry Henrikson is charged with being a felon in possession of several firearms.

Matthew Crisafi, 38, of Hampton, was arrested by HSI special agents on a federal criminal complaint charging him with three counts: the unlicensed sale of firearms; smuggling of firearms from the United States to an overseas destination; and conspiring to commit money laundering in connection with firearms trafficking activities.

Bernard, who was in the United States illegally, is expected to be deported to Argentina after he completes his prison sentence.

Four members of an international arms trafficking organization were sentenced to prison Tuesday for conspiring to smuggle substantial quantities of firearms and ammunition from the United States to Greece.

During this investigation, no firearms were permitted to be exported to Mexico.

Patrick Regan was sentenced to 101 months in prison for smuggling more than 300 firearms to organizations in Colombia that take over and control areas of the country by killing law abiding citizens and legitimate police officers.

Armando Duenez was sentenced Wednesday to 60 months in federal prison for conspiring to export firearms and failure to appear. The investigation began when weapons recovered in Mexico were traced back to him.

AK-47 assault-type firearms were destined to Mexico

Paul Kalash, 37, of Plymouth, Minn., pleaded guilty to one count of smuggling goods from the United States. He was charged Feb. 11.

Hector Ayala, 49, former owner of Uniforms of Texas, was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release after his prison term, and to perform 200 hours of community service.

Former Rio Hondo, Texas, police officer Armando Duenez pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to illegally export firearms and failure to appear. Duenez admitted purchasing more than 15 semi-automatic rifles that were later sold in Mexico.

A local man was sentenced Friday to 41 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for purchasing ammunition that was to be smuggled into Mexico. The case was investigated by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

John Lechner, 65, of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., and a co-defendant were arrested earlier this year on the charges. Lechner was convicted in June 2012 of illegal transportation, possession and storage of more than 4,200 pounds of a mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, commonly known as "ANFO," and various other explosive materials.

Four more defendants were sentenced in federal court Tuesday for their roles in a firearms straw-purchasing and trafficking operation. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Yahir Ricardo Garcia-Matias, the leader of a large straw-purchasing ring who was responsible for the purchase of more than 200 firearms, is now headed to prison. The investigation was conducted by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

A brother and sister from north Texas were each sentenced Tuesday to more than two years in federal prison following their convictions for attempting to smuggle almost 900 rounds of ammunition and 17 firearms magazines into Mexico.

Robert Jacaman Sr. and Veronica Jacaman were arrested Monday after an 11-count federal indictment charged them with illegally selling firearms and ammunition they knew were destined for Mexico. This investigation is led by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

A local federal jury convicted a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer Monday on two counts of making a false statement on an official federal form, and one count of making a false statement to a federal agent.

Two North Carolina men, Jose Luis Santos-Garcia and Javier Molina, have been sentenced to federal prison sentences for attempting to export arms and ammunition to Mexico, following an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Jackson County Interdiction Team.

An Anthony, N.M. man, who was purchasing large amounts of ammunition and shipping them to Mexican drug cartels, remains in federal custody following his arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Two Mexican nationals, Julio Cesar Flores-Martinez and Francisco Padilla-Perez, pleaded guilty Thursday to attempting to illegally smuggle 652 assault rifle magazines into Mexico. The investigation for this case is being led by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Eleven north Texas residents were indicted for their roles in a scheme to smuggle firearms to Mexico.