Hearings begin for alleged firearms traffickers
April 30, 2008 - 6:06PM

BROWNSVILLE - Preliminary hearings Wednesday in the cases of several alleged gun smugglers with suspected ties to a Mexican drug cartel provided insight into the inner workings of firearms traffickers along the border.

The defendants appeared briefly Wednesday before Magistrate Judge Felix Recio in U.S. District Court here in Brownsville.

Two brothers, Ricardo Silva, 23, and Gerardo Silva, 24, are allegedly ringleaders of the group, which includes eight people arrested last week by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Ricardo Silva admitted to an ATF official that he has recruited people to participate in the buying and selling of firearms, paying them in cash and cocaine. The defendant said he and his recruits purchased the weapons with the intention of moving them into Mexico.

Some of the firearms they purchased were "Five-SeveN" pistols, known for their ability to fire bullets through armored vests. The ATF agent who testified said the brand is commonly found in the possession of Mexican drug cartels.

Ricardo Silva told the ATF agent, who would not identify himself to the news media, that the money for the firearms came from an individual nicknamed "Flaco," who paid the Silva brothers $200 for each firearm they bought. His real name was not disclosed in court.

He also told the ATF official that he "feared for his life" after talking to federal agents. When the subject of bail was broached, Magistrate Judge Recio asked Ricardo Silva's attorney, "Why should I release this young man and his brother into the community where they are being threatened?"

He took the case under advisement, saying he would come to a decision about Ricardo Silva's bail by noon Thursday.

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