A 24-year-old legal permanent resident from McAllen, Texas, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to straw purchase a firearm, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Javier Sebastian Vazquez-Ponce admitted in court that he recruited another person to buy a .50-caliber semi-automatic rifle for him. He acknowledged knowing the weapon was intended for trafficking and use by a drug trafficking organization in Mexico.
Authorities reported that on December 2, 2025, they identified a suspicious attempt to buy the .50-caliber rifle with about $10,000 in cash. Investigators found that Vazquez-Ponce and others crossed into Mexico soon after placing the order and returned two days later to collect the firearm. Law enforcement detained them at that time.
The investigation also uncovered text messages describing the scheme and referencing other firearm trafficking activities. As part of his plea agreement, Vazquez-Ponce confirmed that money used for the purchase came from the Gulf Cartel in Mexico.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos is scheduled to sentence Vazquez-Ponce on May 13. He faces up to 25 years in federal prison and a possible maximum fine of $250,000. Vazquez-Ponce remains in custody until his sentencing hearing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives led the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Bird and Izaak Bruce are prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas operates under the Department of Justice and serves under the Attorney General according to its official website. The office has locations in Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville as described online. It employs more than 200 attorneys who handle federal criminal prosecutions and civil cases across 43 counties with a population over nine million according to official information. Notable former leaders include Alamdar Hamdani and Ryan Patrick as listed on its history page.
