Thread: Eight get prison for weapons trafficking

Eight get prison for weapons trafficking

July 27, 2011 9:41 PM
By JARED TAYLOR/The Monitor

McALLEN — A judge on Wednesday sentenced to prison eight men who had pleaded guilty to buying guns destined for Mexico.

The sentences ranged from 30 months to five years.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives built their case after tracking a low-level straw purchaser up the chain of command in a trafficking ring.

ATF learned of the straw purchasing operation in June 2010, when 24-year-old Alamo resident Andres Alvarez bought several AR-15 assault rifles, federal prosecutors said.

Agents learned Alvarez had been recruited by San Juan resident Armando "Peanut" Bravo II, a convicted felon, to buy the guns. That connection led them to Alan Ramirez, who had hired Bravo to find other straw purchasers who could legally buy and possess firearms, prosecutors said.

The investigation eventually led to Juan Manuel Barrientos Lopez, 29, a Mexican national reportedly in the U.S. illegally who authorities believe called the shots in the gun trafficking ring. Agents arrested him following a high-speed chase in October 2010.

Investigators linked Barrientos to 38 AK-47 and AR-15 assault rifles that had been purchased by others.

U.S. District Judge Randy Crane read out the sentences at a hearing Wednesday morning:

Prosecutors said Bravo paid Ramirez, Palacios and Longoria about $200 each time they purchased a firearm.Michael Anthony Salazar, 20, of McAllen, 30 months in prison. Ruben Ramirez III, 20, of San Juan, 33 months in prison. Greg Palacios, 19, of San Juan, 30 months in prison. Romulo Longoria, 21, of San Juan, 30 months in prison. Alan Ramirez, 20, of McAllen, 30 months in prison. Alvarez, 24, four years in prison. Bravo, 22, five years in prison.

Each defendant was also sentenced to three years of supervised release after they complete their prison terms. Barrientos is set to be deported to Mexico after he serves his prison sentence.

Barrientos, five years in prison — the maximum allowed for lying while purchasing firearms from a licensed dealer.

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/t ... eight.html

U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
Southern District of Texas
www.justice.gov/usao/txs

For Immediate Release
Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Members of Ring Convicted of Lying to Buy Firearms Bound for Mexico Sentenced

McALLEN, Texas — Eight members of ring convicted of lying to buy firearms bound for Mexico have been sentenced to prison terms, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today.

United States District Judge Randy Crane sentenced Juan Manuel Barrientos–Lopez, 29, an undocumented alien from Mexico; Andres Alvarez, 24, of Alamo, Texas; Armando Bravo II, aka Peanut, 22, Romulo Longoria, 21, Greg Palacios, 19, Ruben Ramirez III, 20, all of San Juan, Texas; as well as Alan Ramirez, 20, and Michael Anthony Salazar, 20, both of McAllen, to varying prison terms for their roles in a straw purchasing scheme to acquire firearms bound for Mexico. All eight men pleaded guilty on various dates in March and April 2011 to lying on the ATF Form 4473 when they falsely represented themselves to be the "actual owner" of varying types of automatic weapons they were buying for another earlier this year.

The charges and subsequent convictions are the result of an investigation initiated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) after Alvarez purchased multiple AR–15 type rifles in June 2010. Through their investigation, agents learned that Alvarez had been recruited to make the firearm purchases by Bravo because, as convicted felon, Bravo is prohibited by federal law from possessing much less purchasing a firearm. It was later discovered that Alan Ramirez, when he realized that Bravo could not purchase firearms, allegedly recruited Bravo to recruit other straw purchases. Alan Ramirez also recruited Salazar. In addition to his role of a recruiter, Alan Ramirez personally straw purchased 19 firearms for Barrientos–Lopez. Barrientos–Lopez, who was found to be the head of the straw purchasing ring, was present in the United States illegally could not possess let alone purchase firearms. In an attempt to satisfy the orders for firearms placed by Barrientos–Lopez, Bravo then recruited Ruben Ramirez, Palacios and Longoria. Bravo obtained cash for each of these “recruitsâ€