Cynthia Solano, a 40-year-old resident of Phoenix, has been sentenced to 87 months in prison by United States District Judge G. Murray Snow. Following her prison term, she will serve 36 months of supervised release. Solano was involved in a transnational firearm smuggling organization and pleaded guilty on August 14, 2024, to possession of a machinegun and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Solano's activities spanned from February 2022 to January 2023. During this period, she conspired with others to conduct financial transactions aimed at concealing proceeds from firearms trafficked from the United States into Canada. The funds obtained were used by Solano to purchase additional firearms.

In late December 2022, Solano collected 87 firearms in Phoenix with plans to deliver them to associates in Michigan. On January 3, 2023, while driving near Springfield, Illinois, she was stopped by the Illinois State Police. A search of her vehicle revealed the firearms wrapped in Christmas paper. Among them was a firearm equipped with a machinegun conversion device.

After being arraigned in Arizona and placed on pretrial release, Solano removed her electronic monitoring device and fled to Mexico. She was later captured by law enforcement in Mexico through efforts by the United States Marshals’ Office and returned to the U.S. for prosecution.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative that involves multi-agency collaboration to tackle significant criminal organizations.

The OCDETF Arizona Strike Force includes agents and officers from several federal and local agencies such as Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and others. The prosecution was managed by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona in Phoenix.