Five men with ties to Mexico have all pled guilty to felony offenses related to drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, and illegal immigration in Mississippi.
The charges were a result of a multi-agency law enforcement investigation involving sales of cocaine to purchase firearms and machine gun conversion devices for delivery from Mississippi to Mexico.
According to court documents, Rosendo Gonzalez Mora, 40, Jaime Bladimir Dela Cruz, 28, Oscar Gonzalez, 39, Juan Deferia Mondragon, 32, and Gabriel Guerrero Gallegos, 36, were indicted by a federal grand jury for an array of felonies after a joint operation between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General.
Dela Cruz, an American citizen and Richland resident, pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.
Mora, a Mexican citizen, pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. He faces a minimum of five years behind bars and a maximum of life in prison.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi, Mora and Dela Cruz’s charges arise from their attempts to barter an exchange of cocaine for fully automatic firearms, machine gun conversion devices, and explosives. Their alleged intent was to source firearms and explosives from Jackson and deliver them to organized crime syndicates in Mexico.
Gonzalez, an American citizen and Jackson resident, also pleaded guilty to possession of firearm drug trafficking charges, stemming from his attempt to barter an exchange of cocaine for three machine gun conversion devices. He faces a minimum of five years with a maximum of life in prison.
Mondragon and Gallegos, both Mexican citizens, pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry of a previously removed alien for their unlawful return into the U.S. Officials said Mondragon had previously been removed from the U.S. on three different occasions. They each face a maximum sentence of two years in prison followed by possible deportation.
“These charges demonstrate how transnational criminals are reaching even into Mississippi to obtain the weapons they are using to fuel violence abroad and in the United States,” U.S. Attorney Todd Gee said. “I want to thank all the federal, state, and local law enforcement agents that helped investigate and dismantle this international firearms trafficking network.”
In addition to criminal prosecution, officials seized numerous firearms, machine gun conversion devices, and more than $200,000 of suspected drug trafficking proceeds as a result of the investigation. The DOJ also took over 20 acres of real estate property in Hinds County used in the scheme, as well as more than 200 illegally owned fighting chickens.
“ATF will continue to lead in investigating and disrupting firearms trafficking as we bring our expertise and resources to enhance law enforcement’s collective ability to disrupt deadly weapons trafficking between Mississippi and Mexico,” ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson said. “The guilty pleas from these five individuals send a strong message to drug and gun traffickers that ATF will work tirelessly to protect our communities and hold accountable those who threaten our safety.”
