Five Texas men were cuffed for allegedly funneling military-grade firepower to a Mexican cartel, a dark trade that puts lethal weapons in the hands of narco kingpins. According to federal authorities, these suspects are accused of pushing over 100 deadly firearms, such as FNH SCAR rifles and Barrett .50 calibers, across the border to fuel the violent conflicts of drug traffickers in Tamaulipas, Mexico. The Houston Chronicle reported these arrests follow a previous string of indictments linked to the same scheme.
It seems the main man, 23-year-old Gerardo Rafael Perez Jr., orchestrated this dangerous operation from Laredo, conspiring to secretly transport these arms to the grip of cartel henchmen. To covertly obtain these weapons, they allegedly relied on straw purchasers--folks who buy guns on behalf of others--a risky move that the Justice Department noted could lead to a maximum of 25 years in prison if convictions follow.
Luis Matias Leal, dubbed Wicho among other nicknames, aged 30, is said to have bankrolled the operation, providing the cash to make the illegal buys a reality. Meanwhile, Antonio Osiel Casarez, 26, performed the daring task to allegedly smuggle the guns into Mexico and backfill his pockets with cash stateside. All five accused face a litany of charges including conspiracy to smuggle goods and traffic firearms, as the Houston Chronicle details.
Authorities have been onto this for quite some time, snagging three co-conspirators last year. As per the earlier indictment, Jose Emigdio Q. Mendoza handled the gun sales sans a license, pocketing around $170,000 for selling guns to his co-conspirators in less than three months, as revealed by the Justice Department. Gerardo Antonio Ibarra Jr. and Gerardo Corona Jr. were apparently the middlemen, nabbing the firearms for the gang. Mendoza was arrested last March, while his alleged accomplices were picked up in the fall.
The feds mean business, throwing Deputy AG Lisa Monaco, teams from ATF and HSI, and U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza into the fray to dismantle what's been dubbed Operation Southbound. "Stopping the trafficking of high-caliber and military grade firearms to Mexico is a top priority for the Justice Department," the Deputy AG stated, zeroing in on the threat these types of weapons pose in cartel conflicts that often spell death and destruction. An indictment doesn't mean guilt, but with the charges levied heavily upon them, these men if convicted must face the hard justice that accompanies arming the violent underworld.
