ATF NEWS: More Straw Purchases and More Arrests

Six men who were living in DeLand, Florida have been sentenced for illegally straw purchasing and then trafficking 33 semi-automatic firearms that they sold to a violent Mexican drug cartel, the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, known as CJNG, which is in Zitacuaro, Michoacan, Mexico. 

According to U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Gregory W. Kehoe, the ATF began investigating the six men in May 2023. They learned that the group was led by Angel Valazquez Delgado. 

“The conspirators purchased high-caliber firearms in the United States for resale to Mexican drug cartels. These cartels were and are criminal organizations engaged in the trafficking of controlled substances into the United States,” a press release states. 

One batch of illegally trafficked weapons included 11 Barrett .50 caliber rifles and 16 semi-automatic FN M249S rifles, which the U.S. Attorney’s office claimed, “are easily converted into a machinegun.” 

According to the press release, one of the Barretts was recovered after a gunfight that occurred March 22, 2023, between the cartel and Mexican State Police and Mexican military personnel, which claimed two lives. 

“After the shooting, a Barrett, model 82A1, .50 caliber rifle purchased by Jesus Hernandez on November 8, 2022, was recovered,” the press release states. 

Praise for the investigation came from those involved. 

“Dismantling this Central Florida-based firearms trafficking ring is a huge win for public safety in Mexico and America,” said ATF’s Tampa Field Division’s Special Agent in Charge Kirk Howard. “The CJNG is a notoriously brutal transnational criminal organization designated as a foreign terrorist organization that now has less fuel for its violent criminal activities, thanks to this joint team.”

The U.S. Attorney agreed. 

“The investigation and prosecution of violent crime is one of the top priorities of my District,” said Kehoe. “These individuals have trafficked high-caliber, military-grade weapons into the hands of dangerous Mexican cartel members and thus have caused a serious risk to the health and safety of others. My office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to work to hold those who jeopardize public safety accountable for their crimes.”

According to the press release, the FBI was not involved in the investigation. The case was investigated primarily by the ATF, which was assisted by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Volusia Bureau of Investigations and the DeLand Police Department,