A major ammunition smuggling scheme has been thwarted as a 34-year-old Mexican man residing in Mexico City, Erving Alberto Sauceda, also known as Alberto Lizarraga Barrera, has pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering connected to the illegal purchase and intended smuggling of over two million rounds of ammunition. This case, investigated by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), marks a significant blow to the illicit trade that fuels criminal activities across the border.

In his admission, Sauceda confirmed his involvement in a conspiracy to illegally transport monetary instruments from Mexico into the United States, with the goal of then covertly purchasing sizable quantities of ammunition through internet retailers. This complex scheme saw Sauceda and his co-conspirators buy approximately $1,057,464 worth of ammunition and magazines from August 2021 until his April arrest, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

The arsenal included 1,760,010 rounds of 7.62x39mm, 278,000 rounds of .223, 111,000 rounds of 5.56, 30,000 rounds of .308, 1,000 rounds of 9mm, and 504 AK rifle magazines, all of which were shipped to various locales in the Rio Grande Valley, earmarked for illegal export to Mexico. "Smuggling millions of rounds of ammunition into Mexico is astounding and historic, even for the Southern District of Texas, a district that is ground zero in the battle against Mexico’s cartels," Hamdani said, highlighting the gravity of this operation and the threat posed by such smuggling activities.

The success of this operation was the result of extensive collaboration among various law enforcement agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Texas Department of Public Safety - Criminal Investigations Division. These agencies worked in tandem to effectively disrupt and dismantle the high-level criminal organization responsible for arming cartels with firearms and ammunition sourced unlawfully from the United States. Sauceda's sentencing is scheduled for September 12, where he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $500,000. Until then, he will remain in custody,