Olathe Man, 22, Stole 41 Guns for Mexican Cartels

Olathe Man, 22, Stole 41 Guns for Mexican Cartels

A 22-year-old Olathe man has been indicted for stealing 41 firearms from a gun store in Raytown, Missouri, and smuggling them to Mexican cartels.

Frank Guereca, 22, was charged with one count of stealing firearms from a federal firearms licensee in an indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, April 24. The indictment was unsealed and made public today.

Guereca is accused of stealing the firearms on June 16, 2023, with the help of at least two others, who used a stolen U-Haul to conduct the theft. All of the stolen firearms were pistols of various manufacturers and calibers.

According to court documents, Guereca and his accomplices used the stolen firearms to arm Mexican cartels, which have been responsible for flooding communities with deadly drugs.

“We are committed to stanching the flow of illegal firearms on the black market, whether they’re trafficked within the United States or smuggled into Mexico,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore of the Western District of Missouri. “Stolen firearms often supply black market dealers and fuel more crime and violence.”

Guereca was arrested on Thursday, April 25, as he attempted to cross back into the United States from Mexico. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection records, Guereca had previously crossed the border approximately 20 times since the burglary and theft on June 16, 2023.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Raytown, Mo., Police Department.

Guereca is scheduled for his initial court appearance today at 2:30 p.m. in El Paso, Texas (3:30 p.m. CST) before U.S Magistrate Judge Miguel Torres of the Western District of Texas.

The federal indictment alleges that Guereca stole the firearms from a gun store in Raytown, Missouri, and smuggled them to Mexico, where they were recovered in various cities, including Tracy, California, and Chihuahua and Juarez, Mexico.

“Today’s charges demonstrate the power of crime gun intelligence and cooperation with Mexican law enforcement to stem the flow of firearms from the U.S. into Mexico,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “By submitting information about recovered firearms to ATF’s eTrace system, Mexican law enforcement helped us link the alleged theft of firearms in Missouri to their international transport and recovery in Mexico.”