A Nevada man has pleaded guilty to purchasing 140 firearms and ammunition for violent Mexican drug-trafficking organizations, as well as money laundering and employing undocumented immigrants. Luis Alberto Osorio, of Elko, admitted to conspiring with co-defendants between April 2020 and September of last year to acquire the weapons for sale to cartels.
The firearms included high-powered and military-style rifles such as the Ohio Ordnance Works M2-SLR .50 BMG, Barrett M82A1 and M107A1 .50 BMG antimaterial rifles, and the FN Herstal M249S 5.56x45mm and FH Herstal SCAR 17S 7.62x51mm rifles. Osorio also pleaded guilty to one count of straw purchasing of firearms, one count of trafficking in firearms, one count of harboring certain aliens, and one count of conspiracy to launder money.
"Firearms trafficking networks feed the violent cartels that terrorize border communities and pump illicit drugs into our neighborhoods," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. "By cutting off this supply chain and holding this defendant accountable, we are directly disrupting the operational capabilities of these dangerous criminal organizations."
Jonathan Sherwin, deputy special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Las Vegas, stated that "trafficking military-style firearms and ammunition to drug trafficking organizations in Mexico fuels violence, strengthens criminal networks and threatens communities on both sides of the border." He added that the plea is a result of collaborative efforts to disrupt the flow of weapons, money, and criminal support.
Osorio faces a maximum of 70 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for February. The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative.
"In the world of organized crime and drug trafficking, guns and drugs go hand-in-hand," said David S. Olesky, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division. "As a member of the Homeland Security Task Force, DEA and our partners will bring to bear all resources and draw on the full scope of our agencies’ expertise to hold accountable those individuals and organizations which pose a public health and safety threat to our communities through the trafficking of drugs and firearms."