Two Men Sentenced To More Than 7 Years In Prison For Attempting To Traffic Truck Full Of Arms To Mexico

Two men have been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for attempting to traffic a truck full of arms to Mexico from the U.S.

The men, Esteban Rios Reyes and Alex Santos Lopez, pleaded guilty to the charges. They were found guilty of being part of an organization trafficking weapons, according to court testimony seen by Border Report.

The incident that led to their detention took place in September 2023 when Santos sought to drive a truck towing a utility trailer from Texas to Mexico. However, an outbound inspection led to the discovery of hundreds of firearms and magazines, as well as over 1,500 rounds of ammunition.

Agents noted that the cache included assault rifles, shotguns and pistols, some of which were disassembled. It was hidden behind a false wall in the utility trailer. The two people arrested had been engaged in smuggling operations since 2022.

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.