Sauceda Admits Role in $1M Ammo Smuggling Ring

McALLEN, Texas – A massive ammunition smuggling operation funneling over two million rounds of ammunition into Mexico has been dealt a blow with the guilty plea of 34-year-old Erving Alberto Sauceda, also known as Alberto Lizarraga Barrera. U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced the development, detailing a sophisticated money laundering scheme designed to arm potentially dangerous elements south of the border.

Sauceda admitted to conspiring with others to illegally move currency and financial instruments from Mexico into the United States. The illicit funds were then used to place large-scale orders for ammunition through various online retailers – a calculated attempt to bypass scrutiny and flood the Mexican market with weaponry. The scope of the operation is staggering: from August 2021 through his arrest in April of this year, Sauceda and his co-conspirators purchased approximately $1,057,464 worth of ammunition and magazines.

The shopping list reads like a war room manifest. The haul included a staggering 1,760,010 rounds of 7.62x39mm ammunition, 278,000 rounds of .223, 111,000 rounds of 5.56, 30,000 rounds of .308, 1,000 rounds of 9mm, and a hefty 504 AK rifle magazines. This wasn’t for sport; the ammunition was specifically destined for unlawful export to Mexico, directly fueling the escalating violence plaguing the region.

“Smuggling millions of rounds of ammunition into Mexico is astounding and historic, even for the Southern District of Texas, a district that is ground zero in the battle against Mexico’s cartels and the illicit supply of firearms and ammunition to cartels,” stated Hamdani. “This prosecution holds accountable the individuals and transnational criminal networks financing and smuggling firearms and ammunition into Mexico. Today’s guilty pleas are a result of the close partnership between federal and state law enforcement.”

Sauceda’s actions carry a heavy price. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane will hand down the sentence on September 12. Sauceda now faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a potential fine of $500,000. He remains in custody pending that sentencing. The case is the result of a coordinated effort by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Texas Department of Public Safety – all working under the umbrella of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).

The OCDETF operation, bolstered by assistance from Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marshals, and local law enforcement in Hidalgo County and surrounding cities, highlights the multi-agency approach needed to combat transnational criminal organizations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roberto Lopez Jr. is leading the prosecution. This case underscores the relentless flow of weapons across the border and the ongoing struggle to disrupt the cartels’ supply chains.