LAREDO & HOUSTON, TX – Two Texas men are headed to federal prison after being convicted of funneling firearms across the border to arm Mexican drug cartels. The sentences, handed down this week, represent a crackdown on the illicit flow of weapons fueling violence south of the border.
Jaime Jesus Esquivel, 37, of Laredo, received a 120-month sentence followed by 3 years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty June 6th to possession of a machine gun, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. Authorities say Esquivel wasn’t just moving guns; he was building them – assembling fully automatic rifles, often referred to as “ghost guns” because they lack serial numbers and traceable manufacturing marks. The investigation revealed he was using Colt M4 parts and a 3D-printed polymer AR-type drop in auto sear, a device specifically designed to convert a weapon into a machine gun.
The ATF, along with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Laredo Police Department, uncovered a sophisticated operation. Four controlled purchases of cocaine and AR-type fully automatic rifles were made during the undercover investigation. Raids of Esquivel’s properties turned up privately-made AR-type lower receivers, firearm parts, manufacturing tools, 950 rounds of ammunition, a 7.62mm rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, and another fully automatic rifle, all lacking identification. Methamphetamines, cocaine, and a 3D printer were also seized. As a convicted felon, Esquivel was already prohibited from possessing any firearms.
In a separate case, Jose Abraham Nicanor, 34, of Houston, was sentenced to 60 months in prison after a three-day jury trial. Nicanor was convicted on all 13 counts he faced, including possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction for armed robbery. The court determined that Nicanor’s actions weren’t isolated mistakes, but a deliberate pattern of violating the law. Evidence presented at trial showed Nicanor actively recruited “straw purchasers” to acquire high-caliber rifles specifically sought by drug trafficking organizations.
“Traffickers in fully automatic firearms from the United States to Mexico aid in the cartels’ efforts to manufacture dangerous drugs and smuggle them into our country,” stated Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will do everything in its power to find and hold accountable the gun traffickers who are arming the cartels.” ATF Director Steven Dettelbach echoed that sentiment, declaring, “ATF cannot and will not stand by while ghost guns flow to Mexican cartels to support their violent and deadly crimes.”
Both men are currently in custody awaiting transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility. The cases highlight the ongoing struggle to stem the tide of illegal weapons flowing from the U.S. into the hands of increasingly powerful and violent Mexican cartels. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Scott Bowling of the Southern District of Texas prosecuted both cases, indicating a sustained federal effort to disrupt these criminal networks.
Related Federal Cases
- Juan Francisco Saenz-Tamez, Texas Drug Trafficking, Beaumont TX, 2023 · Louisiana
- US Justice Department, Drug and Arms Trafficking, Washington D.C., … · New York
- Tren de Aragua Leaders Unsealed, Terror Cartel Crimes, Texas, 2023 · New York
- Wyndham Corporation, Sex Trafficking, USA, 2023 · Alabama
- Pam Bondi, Money Laundering, Texas, 2023 · Texas
Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Weapons|Organized Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Press Release
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