Nevada Resident Pleads Guilty to Supplying 140 Firearms to Mexican Drug Cartels

Luis Alberto Osorio of Elko, Nevada, entered a guilty plea Friday to a series of federal charges stemming from an operation that illegally supplied powerful firearms to Mexican drug-trafficking cartels. Osorio conspired with associates from April 2020 through September 2021 to purchase 140 firearms, ammunition, and related equipment destined for violent criminal organizations south of the border. The weaponry was later resold for profit, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nevada.

The arsenal included military-grade weapons such as Ohio Ordnance Works M2-SLR .50 BMG rifles, Barrett M82A1 and M107A1 .50 BMG antimaterial rifles, FN Herstal M249S 5.56x45mm rifles, and FN Herstal SCAR 17S 7.62x51mm rifles. These large-caliber, long-range weapons are particularly valued by cartels for their destructive capability. Court documents detailed the specifications of each weapons category involved in the trafficking scheme.

Osorio pleaded guilty to four separate counts: straw purchasing of firearms, trafficking in firearms, harboring undocumented aliens, and conspiracy to launder money. He also admitted to employing undocumented workers at a Nevada mining company. Federal prosecutors are seeking a maximum sentence of 70 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for February 2025.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah characterized the case as disrupting a critical supply chain feeding cartel operations. Homeland Security Investigations and the DEA identified the case as part of broader efforts to sever the connection between firearms trafficking networks and organized crime in Mexico. The prosecution reflects a Trump administration priority established through executive order at the beginning of the president’s term.