BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A former police officer has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in smuggling guns to Mexico, federal authorities announced today.
Armando Duenez, 31, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to export firearms and failure to appear, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson said. Duenez, who worked as a police officer with the Rio Hondo Police Department during the offense, was sentenced to 60 months for the firearms charge and 60 months for failing to appear.
A portion of the sentences will be served consecutively for a total sentence of 64 months. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following completion of the prison term. In addition, Judge Tagle ordered Duenez to perform 150 hours of community service upon his release from prison.
Duenez entered into an agreement with others to export weapons from the United States to Mexico. He admitted to working with Raymond Martinez, formerly a member of the Palm Valley Police Department, to buy firearms and sell them for a profit to individuals who intended to smuggle them to Mexico.
According to the investigation, Duenez purchased more than 15 semi-automatic rifles that were later sold in Mexico. The rifles were all capable of accepting high capacity magazines. The investigation began when weapons recovered in Mexico were traced back to Duenez.
Duenez was arrested for the firearms offense in July 2008. After being released on bond, Duenez failed to appear for his arraignment and fled to Mexico, where he remained until he surrendered to United States Marshals Service in December 2012.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bill Hagen.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Weapons|Public Corruption|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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