Two Cleveland men have been indicted on federal charges for attempting to traffic firearms to members of a drug cartel in Mexico, as reported by the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida. The defendants in question, Yarquimedes Rodriguez Hilario, 32, and Adison Lopez-Ramirez, 34, both of Cleveland, Ohio, are facing serious allegations of conspiring to sell firearms and launder money. According to the indictment, the pair could face up to 35 years each in federal prison if found guilty of all charges, and the government has also signaled its intention to seize assets related to the proceeds of their alleged crimes.
The indictment, made public by Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney, outlines a scheme that began to unfold in 2021 when undercover agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) posed as cartel operatives to gain trust and conduct transactions with the accused, during which conversations about purchasing AR-15s, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and even illicit drugs like cocaine and fentanyl were allegedly exchanged, at least 90 rifles, including a Mac-10-type machine gun equipped with a silencer, were sold or earmarked for sale to the undercover agents both in the Middle District of Florida and Cleveland, Ohio, the indictment describes one instance on October 21, 2021, where Lopez-Ramirez is said to have sold nine .223/5.56 caliber rifles and one 9mm rifle to the agents in St. Petersburg, Florida for a sum of $16,000.
The investigation further reveals that, following this exchange, Lopez-Ramirez was observed depositing $9,000 from the sale into Hilario's bank account. As the plot continued to progress, an undercover agent communicated to Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario, the brother of Yarquimedes and a co-conspirator in their dealings, that their fictional Mexican associates were in need of additional armaments due to purported conflicts, to which Hilario arranged for a delivery of 40 AM-15 multi-caliber firearms on March 2, 2023. Saleh Yusuf Saleh, implicated in the conspiracy for acquiring and assembling the firearm parts, accompanied Hilario to the meeting but both men were subsequently arrested after the agents verified the goods.
Earlier consequences have now come full circle for the conspirators, as March 2024 saw Yuendry Rodriguez Hilario receiving a 13-year and 4-month prison sentence while Saleh Yusuf Saleh, previously sentenced in November 2024, began serving 5 years and 8 months in federal custody, these details come to light following a release issued by the United States Attorney's Office which stresses the collaborative efforts by federal law enforcement to stifle the proliferation of illegal firearms and dismantle international trafficking operations that threaten both national and international security.
