BROWNSVILLE, Texas – In a grim tale of gunrunning across the border, Mirna Luna, a 38-year-old resident of Canton, Georgia, was sentenced today to 46 months in federal prison for smuggling firearms into Mexico. The woman, caught with 17 firearms and 27 magazines hidden in her car’s gas tank, pleaded guilty on April 1 before U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr.
Luna’s journey from Georgia to the Texas-Mexico border ended at the Brownsville/Matamoros port of entry where Customs and Border Protection officials referred her for a secondary inspection. That’s when they discovered the deadly cache in her Nissan vehicle. Luna, who claimed ownership of the car and confessed to being its sole driver, lacked the proper licenses for exporting firearms.
Despite having no license to export firearms, Luna attempted to cross into Mexico with the illegal weapons on December 15, 2024. Her brazen attempt at smuggling has now landed her a lengthy sentence of 46 months followed by two years of supervised release.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Rodriguez emphasized the gravity of Luna’s crime, noting that trafficking firearms is a serious offense. Following today’s hearing, Luna will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The investigation into Luna’s illegal activities was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jose Esquivel and Ana Cano handling the prosecution of this case. This sentence sends a clear message that crossing the border with firearms will not be tolerated.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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