A Dale man who helped move a stockpile of AK-style rifles across the border for a Mexican cartel has been found guilty by a federal jury in Del Rio, closing the book on what prosecutors say was a steady weapons pipeline into Mexico.
The May 4 verdict tagged 30-year-old Bobby Brandon Galvan, also known as “Puravidarecia,” with two counts of firearms trafficking after jurors heard how he straw-purchased 24 AK-47-style rifles between Sept. 16, 2023 and April 14, 2024, then passed them to co-conspirators who ran the guns to Toluca, Mexico for La Nueva Familia Michoacana. Prosecutors said Galvan tried to obliterate serial numbers from the rifles and that one of the guns later turned up after a shootout with Mexican law enforcement. He now faces up to 40 years in prison on each count. The case, tried in Del Rio, is part of a broader Homeland Security Task Force investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas.
How Investigators Say the Ring Operated
At trial, federal agents laid out what they described as a simple but effective scheme. Galvan bought rifles at retail as a straw purchaser, then attempted to scrape away or otherwise erase the serial numbers before handing the weapons off to intermediaries. Those middlemen, investigators said, moved the guns across the border into Mexico, where cartel figures identified in court included Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga (“El Pez”) and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga (“El Fresa”). Those details and linked court records were highlighted in a social post about the verdict. According to U.S. Attorney WDTX, investigators ultimately traced two dozen rifles from a Texas town into cartel hands.
Operation Take Back America and the HSTF
The investigation and prosecution unfolded under the umbrella of a Homeland Security Task Force as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice effort that combines OCDETF and HSTF resources to go after cartels and other transnational criminal organizations. A DOJ memorandum outlining the operation instructs federal prosecutors to pursue the most serious, readily provable offenses and to closely coordinate with state and local partners on those cases. The full framework is detailed in a DOJ memorandum on Operation Take Back America.
What Happened in Court and What's Next
According to prosecutors, Galvan was arrested July 29, 2025 and indicted Aug. 20, 2025 on one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms and one count of straw purchase of firearms. He is one of 26 defendants charged in the sweeping probe, and 18 co-defendants have already pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. A sentencing date for Galvan has not yet been set. Per the U.S. Attorney's X post, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Warsame Galaydh and Brett Miner are handling the prosecution.
National Context
La Nueva Familia Michoacana, the cartel named in the indictment, was labeled both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. government in February 2025, a move that has driven more federal attention toward cases that disrupt cartel supply lines. The State Department’s designations, recorded in the Federal Register, help explain why interagency task forces have zeroed in on weapons pipelines. The notice is available at govinfo.gov.
Legal Implications
Prosecutors pitched Galvan’s conviction as part of a broader shift in federal enforcement strategy that prioritizes cutting off weapons bound for transnational criminal organizations. Firearms-trafficking convictions come with steep penalties, and officials say cases like this are designed to choke off the flow of rifles that fuel cartel violence on both sides of the border.
