Texas Man Pleads Guilty To Supplying Hundreds Of High-Caliber Weapons To Mexico's Cartel del Noreste

A Texas man pleaded guilty to supplying hundreds of high-caliber weapons to Mexico's Cartel del Noreste, according to a new report.

Border Report detailed that prosecutors said that Gerardo Rafael Perez Jr., along with a network of "straw buyers" working under him procured several rifles and machine guns from stores and unlicensed dealers in different Texas cities.

The group also acquired parts to modify AR-15 rifles, with Perez supervising purchases, trafficking and illegal exporting of guns and parts to the cartel, which has been designated as a terrorist organization in the U.S. Perez was arrested in March 2024 along with four other accomplices.

Perez pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to traffic firearms, conspiracy to straw purchase firearms, conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States, and conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He could spend up to 25 years in prison.

There is abundant evidence about the flow of weapons bought legally in the U.S. to Mexico. The latter's Defense Secretariat said in July it had located 11 gun smuggling routes from the U.S. to Mexico.

In a report, the entity said it was able to spot the routes as a result of cooperation with the General Prosecutor's Office, and that most of them are used by criminal organizations. Overall, authorities were able to seize almost 6,000 guns between November 2024 and May this year.

The document adds that 43% of the guns seized come from Texas. An additional 22% come from Arizona and 9% from California.

Mexico's Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said earlier this year that 75% of the weapons recovered between February and May came from the U.S., a figure also acknowledged by U.S. officials.

The U.S. Supreme Court blocked in early June a $10 billion lawsuit filed by Mexico against U.S. manufacturers for allegedly helping fuel cartel violence in the country with their business practices. Mexico, in fact, has just one store where people can legally buy guns.

The Associated Press detailed that the ruling was unanimous. It followed appeals from manufacturers like Smith & Wesson, Berretta, Colt and Glock. Mexico had requested justices to let the case continue, claiming it was in its early stages.

The country accused the companies of knowing their guns were being smuggled into Mexico and seizing the opportunity to increase their profits.