Rachel C. Hernandez Acting United States Attorney for the District of Arizona | U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona
Martin Eulalio Molina Lopez, a former police officer from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, has been sentenced to 63 months in prison. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Sharad Desai on May 19, 2025. Molina Lopez had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge of Alien in Possession of a Firearm.
Molina Lopez entered the United States under a travel visa in early 2024. In February of that year, he was arrested after law enforcement observed him recruiting U.S. citizens to act as straw purchasers for firearms at a gun show in Phoenix, Arizona. He was found with 18 firearms purchased by others on his behalf at the event. Further investigation revealed that Molina Lopez had previously recruited individuals to buy an additional 20 firearms for him.
Having retired from the Hermosillo Municipal Police in 2021 due to a gunshot wound, Molina Lopez was prohibited from purchasing firearms while on a travel visa in the United States.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations. The operation also seeks to protect communities from violent crime through coordinated efforts involving various task forces.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation into this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcus Shand from the District of Arizona's Phoenix office prosecuted the case.
