Two undocumented immigrants and a Texas man were indicted last week after a federal grand jury in South Texas said the group was implicated in firearms and drug trafficking.
Laredo resident Fernando Patinio and Albert Garcia-Guajardo and Jose Hernandez-Garza were charged in a 14-count indictment that accuses them of selling cocaine and a large number of weapons, including several machine guns, according to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
If found guilty, Garcia-Guajardo and Patinio face a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years and up to life in federal prison for conspiracy to traffic machines guns in the course of drug trafficking offenses and use of a machine gun in drug trafficking, while Hernandez-Garza could face up to 15 years behind bars if convicted of being in the country illegally and possessing a firearm.
As Border Report highlighted, authorities learned of the group's illegal activities thanks to a month-long undercover investigation. Law enforcement says Patinio and Garcia-Guajardo sold two machine guns —a model 22 Glock equipped with a machine gun conversion device — on Jan. 2, and that they had arranged to sell cocaine and an additional machine gun over the following weeks.
But before the end of the month, on Jan. 31, authorities executed a search warrant in Laredo, Texas where they say discussed more firearms, narcotics and ammunition. According to Ganjei, the undercover investigation resulted in the seizure of more firearms, including two machine guns and eight pistols, apart from several drum-style magazines and bags with cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana.
Texas law enforcement says Garcia-Guajardo and Hernandez-Garza were illegally in the U.S. and one of them had received two removal orders in the past, most recently in July 2024. According to the allegations, Hernandez-Garza originally had a B1/B2 visa but it had expired at the time of his arrest.
Besides facing a long sentence, each individual could also be ordered to pay up to $250,000 in fines, Border Report says.
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