2 Mexican men charged in plot to buy weapons
By Daniel Borunda / El Paso Times
Posted: 04/14/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT


EL PASO -- Two men from Guadalajara, Mexico, are accused of trying to buy $2 million worth of weapons and ammunition from undercover federal agents in El Paso.

Osvaldo Tostado Gonzalez, 31, and Gabriel Gonzalez Gonzalez, 38, allegedly planned to smuggle automatic rifles and other fire arms into Mexico, said Leticia Zamarripa, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Both men made an initial appearance before a federal magistrate Monday. A detention hearing is set for Thursday.

The men were arrested Saturday by the multi-agency Border Enforcement Security Task force, known as the BEST team, when they met undercover agents to negotiate a price for the weapons at an East Side parking lot, Zamarripa said.

Tostado and Gonzalez allegedly had a list to buy 300 AR-15 or AR-16 rifles, 10 .50-caliber rifles, 300 short-barreled .223 rifles, two 40-mm grenade machine guns and 20 handguns with silencers.

The undercover sting began in December when El Paso police learned of a person looking to buy weapons to take into Mexico, ICE officials said.

The suspected gun buyers met with undercover agents Dec. 20 and provided a $148,045 cash down payment Jan. 29, officials said.

In follow-up negotiations in February and March, the undercover agents showed assault the rifles to the suspected gun smugglers.

Whether the men are linked to Mexican drug cartels is under investigation, but the firearms list includes weaponry favored by drug traffickers. The powerful .50-caliber rifle is especially coveted for its ability to pierce bulletproof vehicles.

The BEST team includes members of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, the Border Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration, El Paso police and the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.

Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com; 546-6102
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_12136411