Nicholas J. Ganjei United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A Mexican national, Charbel Garza Macias, aged 20, residing illegally in Laredo, Texas, has been sentenced for possessing nearly 5,000 rounds of ammunition. The U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced the sentencing after Macias pleaded guilty on October 8, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo sentenced Macias to 63 months in federal prison. As he is not a U.S. citizen, removal proceedings are expected following his imprisonment. During the hearing, evidence was presented identifying Macias as a member of Cartel Del Noreste (CDN). The court noted that he was providing "tools of war" to this criminal organization.
"This defendant’s goal was to get this ammunition to Mexico and, if he had succeeded, would have contributed to the cartels’ ongoing campaign of brutality," stated Ganjei. He further warned those aiding such organizations that they will be prosecuted.
Craig Larrabee, Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), emphasized the serious consequences of smuggling ammunition across borders: "The conviction and sentence of this individual highlights the serious consequences... ensuring that individuals who engage in these illegal activities face the full weight of the law."
Macias made bulk purchases of ammunition in Laredo with plans to transport them to Mexico for profit. On July 16, 2024, authorities surveilled him loading ammunition into a vehicle suspected of transporting large amounts of high-caliber rounds. A subsequent traffic stop led to discovering approximately 4,800 rounds in his vehicle.
At arrest time, Macias admitted he was hired to purchase about 20,000 rounds for smuggling into Mexico for CDN operations in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. He acknowledged lacking a license to export ammunition or firearms and knew it was illegal.
Macias remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility yet to be determined.
The investigation was conducted by ICE-HSI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan L. Oliver as part of Operation Take Back America—a Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
