A Mexican national living illegally in Laredo, Texas, has been convicted of drug trafficking and unlawful possession of a machine gun. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Carlos Alberto Garcia-Guajardo, 32, was found guilty on all 12 counts after a trial that lasted less than three days. The jury deliberated for about two and a half hours before reaching its verdict.
According to evidence presented at trial, Garcia-Guajardo and Fernando Patino Jr., also an illegal alien, sold firearms—including several machine guns—and cocaine from a home in Laredo. Undercover operations began with the sale of a pistol and expanded to include drugs.
On January 2, Patino and Garcia-Guajardo sold the first of two machine guns—a Glock model 22 equipped with a conversion device. In subsequent weeks, they arranged additional sales involving cocaine and other firearms. In total, they sold ten firearms.
Testimony showed that the pair used drug sales to negotiate future firearm deals. During one transaction, they told a buyer: “because you are paying full price on the snow, we will cut you a deal on the Glock.”
The investigation revealed that Garcia-Guajardo and Patino not only sold but also fired weapons indiscriminately in their neighborhood while conducting extensive drug trafficking.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant on Monterrey Street in Laredo on January 31. Officers found Garcia-Guajardo along with Jose Guadalupe Hernandez-Garza—another illegal alien from Mexico—scales, cash in various denominations, multiple firearms, and crack cocaine stored near items belonging to young children.
Garcia-Guajardo had previously been ordered removed from the United States twice, most recently in July 2024. As an illegal alien under federal law, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Visiting U.S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle presided over the trial and set sentencing for March 5. Garcia-Guajardo faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years up to life in federal prison and could be fined up to $250,000.
Patino pleaded guilty before trial and is awaiting sentencing; both men remain in custody pending those proceedings.
Hernandez-Garza admitted to being an alien illegally in possession of a firearm and ammunition and has been ordered to prison.
The case was investigated by several agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Laredo Police Department; Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations; ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations; Texas Department of Public Safety; Texas Anti-Gang Unit – Laredo Center; and Border Patrol.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tory R. Sailer and Brandon Scott Bowling are prosecuting the case.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime,” according to the press release.
