EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – A convicted felon allegedlly procured 21 firearms – some of them stolen – for an undercover federal agent.
The arrest of Albert Rene Saucedo of San Antonio is part of a broader investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) of alleged gun traffickers in South Texas, with multiple individuals targeted, court documents show.
Texas and Arizona lead the nation when it comes to firearms traced to crime scenes in Mexico. A total of 449 guns sold in Bexar County, Texas, were found in Mexico between 2020 and 2022, according to the Wilson Center.
Saucedo came under scrutiny in early May as he allegedly advertised guns through social media. On May 12, he allegedly offered the undercover ATF agent a Diamondback DB15 .556-caliber pistol for $800.
Court documents show the relationship quickly prospered. In just over a month, the man previously convicted of robbery and unlawful use of a motor vehicle either sold or brokered the sale of 12 shotguns, three semi-automatic rifles and six guns, according to a July 17 indictment filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Some of the shotguns were potent, magazine-fed and most of the rifles are made to use high-velocity NATO .556-caliber bullets, records show.
The indictment charges Saucedo with trafficking firearms, being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle. That type of firearms (rifles with barrels shorter than 16 inches in length) must be registered with the ATF as per USA v. Rush.
Saucedo faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is seeking forfeiture of all the guns and the indictment mentions “reasonable cause” to believe the firearms could have been smuggled from the United States.
Read: Read More