A 24-year-old legal permanent resident from McAllen, Texas, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to straw purchase a firearm intended for a Mexican drug trafficking organization. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Javier Sebastian Vazquez-Ponce admitted to recruiting another person to buy a .50-caliber semi-automatic rifle on his behalf, fully aware that the weapon would be trafficked and used by a criminal group in Mexico. On December 2, 2025, authorities noticed an attempt to buy the high-powered rifle with about $10,000 in cash.
Investigators found that Vazquez-Ponce and others crossed into Mexico after placing the order for the weapon and returned roughly two days later to pick it up. Law enforcement detained them upon their return.
Text messages obtained during the investigation detailed the plan and mentioned additional firearm trafficking activities. As part of his plea agreement, Vazquez-Ponce acknowledged that funds for the gun purchase came from the Gulf Cartel in Mexico.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos will sentence Vazquez-Ponce on May 13. He faces up to 25 years in federal prison and a possible maximum fine of $250,000. Vazquez-Ponce remains in custody until sentencing.
The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Bird and Izaak Bruce are prosecuting.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas oversees federal prosecutions across six offices located in Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville (official website). This office is part of the Department of Justice under the Attorney General (official website) and employs over 200 attorneys who handle both criminal prosecutions and civil cases for a population exceeding nine million people in 43 counties (official website). The office has had several notable leaders including Alamdar Hamdani (2022–2025) (official history page).
Ganjei stated: "Javier Sebastian Vazquez-Ponce admitted he recruited another individual to purchase a .50-caliber semi-automatic rifle on his behalf, knowing the firearm was intended for trafficking and use by a drug trafficking organization in Mexico."
"As part of his plea, Vasquez-Ponce admitted the money for the purchase originated from the Gulf Cartel in Mexico."
