McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A federal grand jury in South Texas has indicted three men on firearms and drug trafficking charges.
Fernando Patinio, 31, of Laredo, Texas, and Albert Garcia-Guajardo, 32, and Jose Hernandez-Garza, 25, both non-U.S. citizens, were charged in a 14-count indictment handed up to a federal court in Laredo, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced Wednesday.
Patinio and Garcia-Guajardo are charged with selling cocaine and a large number of weapons, including several machine guns, according to a month-long undercover investigation.
Law enforcement say the pair sold two machine guns — a model 22 Glock equipped with a machine gun conversion device — on Jan. 2, and that over the next few weeks they had arranged to sell cocaine and another machine gun.
Authorities on Jan. 31 executed a search warrant in Laredo where they say they discussed more firearms, narcotics, and ammunition.
Officials say Garcia-Guajardo and Hernandez-Garza were illegally in the United States. Garcia-Guajardo was allegedly ordered removed from the country two times, most recently in July 2024. According to the allegations, Hernandez-Garza originally had a B1/B2 visa issued to him, but it had expired.
Since they are not lawfully in the United States, they are not allowed to possess firearms, officials say.
The monthlong investigation resulted in the seizure of two machine guns, eight pistols – one of which had a filed-off serial number – drum-style magazines, cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana and several rounds of .40 S&W caliber and 9mm caliber rounds, Ganjei said.
Garcia-Guajardo and Patino face a mandatory minimum of 30 years and up to life in federal prison for conspiracy to traffic machines guns in the course of drug trafficking offenses and use of a machine gun in drug trafficking.
Hernandez-Garza faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of being in the country illegally and possessing a firearm.
All three could also be ordered to pay up to a $250,000 fine.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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