Three men in South Texas have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to firearms and drug trafficking, according to reports from Border Report.
Three individuals have been charged in a 14-count indictment by a federal court in Laredo, Texas. Fernando Patinio, a 31-year-old resident of Laredo, and Albert Garcia-Guajardo, a 32-year-old non-U.S. citizen, along with Jose Hernandez-Garza, a 25-year-old non-U.S. citizen, face these charges, as announced by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei on Wednesday.
Patinio and Garcia-Guajardo face charges of selling cocaine and a variety of weapons, including multiple machine guns. These charges stem from a thorough undercover investigation that spanned over a month.
According to law enforcement, the duo engaged in the sale of two machine guns on January 2. One of the machine guns was a model 22 Glock that had been equipped with a machine gun conversion device. They had also planned to sell cocaine and another machine gun in the following weeks.
On January 31st, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant in Laredo. During the operation, they uncovered additional firearms, narcotics, and ammunition.
According to officials, Garcia-Guajardo and Hernandez-Garza were residing in the United States unlawfully. Garcia-Guajardo had reportedly received two removal orders from the country, with the most recent one issued in July 2024. Hernandez-Garza, on the other hand, had initially possessed a B1/B2 visa, but it had expired.
According to officials, individuals who are not legally present in the United States are prohibited from owning firearms.
During the monthlong investigation, law enforcement officials were able to seize a significant amount of illegal items. This included two machine guns, eight pistols (one of which had a filed-off serial number), drum-style magazines, as well as drugs such as cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana. Additionally, several rounds of .40 S&W caliber and 9mm caliber were also recovered. Ganjei provided these details regarding the items confiscated during the operation.
Garcia-Guajardo and Patino could potentially spend a minimum of 30 years in federal prison, with the possibility of a life sentence. Their charges include conspiracy to traffic machine guns in connection with drug trafficking activities, as well as the use of a machine gun in drug trafficking.
If Hernandez-Garza is found guilty of being in the country illegally and possessing a firearm, he could potentially face a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.
They may also face a potential fine of up to $250,000.
