Two men have been sentenced in federal court for their involvement in a multi-state conspiracy that trafficked hundreds of firearms to Mexico. The sentencing follows an investigation by multiple federal agencies and marks the conclusion of a case prosecuted under new firearm trafficking laws.
Esteban Rios Reyes, 35, a legal permanent resident of Silverhill, Alabama, and Alex Santos Lopez, 22, a U.S. citizen residing in Oaxaca, Mexico, pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges including conspiracy to traffic firearms and smuggling goods out of the United States.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered Lopez to serve 90 months and Reyes 87 months in federal prison. In addition to his sentence, Lopez will be subject to three years of supervised release. Reyes could lose his legal status to reside in the United States due to his conviction. During sentencing, the court heard about how often the organization exported weapons and coordinated across several states prior to being caught. Judge Crane highlighted both men’s leadership roles within the organization and their efforts to hide their activities.
The case stemmed from an incident on September 6, 2023, when Lopez attempted to leave the United States driving a truck with a utility trailer. An inspection uncovered 270 firearms, 251 magazines, nine sights and over 1,500 rounds of ammunition. Many items were disassembled or hidden behind false walls or inside water heaters purchased by Reyes for concealment purposes.
Investigators found that this was not an isolated event; since 2022, members of the organization had been acquiring firearms from various states such as Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Tennessee. The weapons were stored at stash houses in Texas before being prepared for transport into Mexico.
The broader operation led to arrests across several districts nationwide and resulted in nearly 1,000 seized firearms intended for Mexico.
Three co-conspirators—Felipe Garcia (36), Angel Carreno (25), both from Dallas; and Jose Luis Pacheco (25), living in Guadalajara—previously pleaded guilty and received sentences ranging from 54 to 57 months.
Lopez and Reyes remain in custody pending transfer to facilities managed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Federal agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations; along with Customs and Border Protection contributed to this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee A. Fry prosecuted the case.
According to officials: “This case was prosecuted under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, enacted in June 2022. It is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking and straw-purchasing of firearms.”
OCDETF operations use a prosecutor-led approach involving intelligence gathering across multiple agencies with a focus on dismantling major criminal organizations threatening national security interests through drug or weapon trafficking schemes.
More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf/about-ocdetf.
