A south Texas man has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for attempting to smuggle assault rifles from the U.S. into Mexico, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency announced earlier this month
Manuel Dominguez, 29, of Laredo, Tex., was sentenced on April 11 to 87 months in federal prison and another three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana, ICE reported at the time. Dominguez pleaded guilty to charges of attempted firearms smuggling this past August, ICE reports in the April 11 statement.
Dominguez was arrested this past May during an undercover investigation when he attempted to purchase high-powered rifles for the Mexican drug cartel Cartel De Norte, ICE reports. Dominguez met with undercover agents in a parking lot to buy two Barrett .50 cal. rifles, inspected the firearms and paid agents $9,900, according to ICE.
"Dominguez loaded the first firearm into the back seat of his car, at which time he was taken into custody," ICE reports in the statement. "Authorities conducted a search at his residence where they found more firearms and over 6,000 rounds of ammunition."
Dominguez has a previous conviction in Webb County, Tex., for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, the report states. As a convicted felon, he is not legally allowed to possess firearms or ammunition. ICE states that Judge Saldana referenced Dominguez's history of violent crime, the amount of weapons and ammunition found in his home and his attempt to get assault rifles to a drug gang in Mexico at the April 11 hearing.
Investigators with ICE, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Laredo Police Department conducted the investigation, ICE reports.
“This successful case is a result of the steadfast efforts of HSI special agents to prevent firearms from falling into the hands of transnational criminal organizations that pose a threat to public safety both here and abroad,” HSI Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden said in the report. “We will continue working with our domestic and international law enforcement partners in this effort."
