A former Mexican police officer, Rene Hernandez-Cordero, was sentenced to a total of 25 years in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy that involved trafficking firearms and drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border. The Western District of Texas handed down the sentence, which will see the 52-year-old from Ciudad Juarez serving 300 months concurrently for multiple offenses, including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, straw purchasing firearms, and smuggling bulk cash.
During the trial, it emerged that Hernandez-Cordero worked with El Paso resident Jesus Gerardo Ramos to acquire an arsenal of 20 AK-47-type firearms and two Barrett .50 caliber rifles, intended to be smuggled into Mexico. Court documents revealed the group whose Hernandez-Cordero was a part had been active in sequentially smuggling firearms from the United States into Mexico from August 2022 to August 2023. The coordination efforts for this operation were witnessed at a gas station in El Paso, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Ramos, who has since pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in firearms, is scheduled to be sentenced on September 26. Brian Alexis Munoz Castro, another participant in the operation from El Paso, also pleaded guilty to trafficking in firearms and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. His sentencing hearing is slated for October 23. Meanwhile, a third alleged conspirator, Maria Del Rosario Navarro Sanchez, remains at large and is currently wanted on charges related to the same operation.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Jaime Esparza, announced the sentencing, indicating the extensive work involved in bringing the case to its conclusion. The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces El Paso/Las Cruces Strike Force Enforcement Group 3, led the investigation into the crime ring, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Myers and Special Assistant U. S. Attorney Shannon Holderfield from Customs and Border Protection Office of Chief Counsel were responsible to prosecute the case.
