After several years of investigations and the issuance of sentences in dribs and drabs, the Arizona District Attorney’s Office in the United States has announced the dismantling of a weapons smuggling network at the border. So far, 158 charges of conspiracy in the purchase and sale of weapons between Phoenix and Mexico have been filed against a group of at least 30 people, including several Mexican citizens. Ambassador Ronald Johnson celebrated the success of the operation and the justice system on his social media this Tuesday. “Every firearm intercepted before it reaches a cartel is a step forward,” he said on his X account.
The formal accusation alleges that the identified group conspired to illegally purchase firearms for the purpose of trafficking them without a license and made false statements during the purchase of a firearm. The leader of the operation is Fernando Daniel Castro, from Phoenix, according to the Prosecutor’s Office. The weapons were purchased in his name and then he himself sold them “knowing or having reason to believe that they would be exported outside the United States.” Among the weapons he managed to traffic are Glock 19 pistols and AK-type rifles.
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