Roberto Lugardo Moreno Jr., Firearms Trafficking, Texas 2024

A harrowing incident has unfolded in southern Texas, where a 42-year-old Harlingen resident has pleaded guilty to smuggling a firearm into Mexico, which was linked to the murder and kidnapping of U.S. citizens in Matamoros, Mexico.

According to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani, Roberto Lugardo Moreno Jr. pleaded guilty today to aiding the smuggling of a firearm into Mexico knowing it was intended for members of the Gulf Cartel.

The investigation revealed that Moreno had obtained the firearm at a pawn shop in Brownsville, and he admitted to purchasing it on behalf of another person he knew was going to provide it to a Gulf Cartel figure in Mexico.

Moreno's actions have sparked outrage, with Hamdani stating, 'All too often, firearms are trafficked into Mexico where they end up in the hands of criminals who use them to murder, rob and extort innocent people.'

Moreno faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine when U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera imposes sentencing on August 9.

Moreno has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/texan-admits-firearms-offense-linked-matamoros-murder-us-citizens