An illegal immigrant living in a Texas border city was hired to purchase thousands of rounds of ammunition for the Cartel Del Noreste (CDN) in Mexico, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
Charbel Garza Macias pleaded guilty on Oct. 8, 2024, to illegally possessing ammunition after he was found with 4,8000 rounds during a traffic stop.
He was sentenced in federal court to more than five years in prison. He is expected to be deported upon serving his time, authorities said.
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"This defendant's goal was to get this ammunition to Mexico and, if he had succeeded, would have contributed to the cartels' ongoing campaign of brutality," said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. "Those who work to arm, supply, fund or otherwise aid these organizations take notice; you are going to be found and prosecuted."
On July 16, 2024, Homeland Security Investigations, along with the Laredo Police Department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, set up surveillance in a Laredo parking lot, which sits across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
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Macias attempted to elude law enforcement as they followed him after departing the parking lot, federal prosecutors said.
During a traffic stop, authorities found 4,800 rounds of .223/5.56 caliber ammunition in the vehicle. At the time, Macias admitted that he was hired by the CDN to buy 20,000 rounds to be smuggled into Mexico.
Authorities noted that he didn't have a license to export ammunition or firearms and knew it was illegal to smuggle ammunition into Mexico.
In exchange for smuggling the ammunition, Macias expected to be paid $600 per transaction, the Laredo Morning Times reported, citing a federal affidavit.
