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Major Export Enforcement Cases - Directorate of Defense Trade ...

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were traced back to these defendants. Angelo Vega pleaded guilty on Aug. 25, 2011 to one count<br />

<strong>of</strong> conspiracy to smuggle firearms, one count <strong>of</strong> smuggling goods from the United States and one<br />

count <strong>of</strong> extortion. Several other defendants have also pleaded guilty to charges in the<br />

indictment. Eddie Espinoza pleaded guilty on July 12, 2011 and was sentenced to 51 months in<br />

prison on June 14, 2012. Alberto Rivera pleaded guilty on July 15, 2011 and was sentenced to 90<br />

months in prison on Oct. 9, 2012. Miguel Carrillo pleaded guilty on July 19, 2011 and was<br />

sentenced on Oct. 9, 2012 to 46 months in prison. Manuel Ortega pleaded guilty on July 20, 2011<br />

and was sentenced to 70 months in prison on Oct. 9, 2012. Gabriela Gutierrez pleaded guilty on<br />

April 4, 2012 and was sentenced on Oct. 9, 2012 to 24 months in prison. Ian Garland pleaded<br />

guilty on July 21, 2011 and was sentenced to five years in prison on May 24, 2012. Vicente<br />

Carreon pleaded guilty on July 22, 2011 and was sentenced on March 21, 2012 to 46 months in<br />

prison. Eva Gutierrez pleaded guilty on July 15, 2011. Ricardo Gutierrez pleaded guilty on July<br />

18, 2011. Blas Gutierrez pleaded guilty on Aug. 1, 2011. The investigation was conducted by<br />

ATF, ICE and DEA.<br />

Firearms to Colombia -- On March 8, 2011, in the Southern District <strong>of</strong> Texas, Patrick Regan and<br />

his Colombian-born wife, Ximena del Pilar Echeverry Arias were arrested on a criminal<br />

complaint charging the couple with conspiracy, smuggling goods from the United States and<br />

possession <strong>of</strong> a firearm with an obliterated serial number. In Dec. 2010, agents saw Regan and<br />

Arias ship numerous boxes addressed to recipients in Colombia. An examination <strong>of</strong> those boxes<br />

resulted in a determination that the name <strong>of</strong> the addressee was fictitious, the shipping address was<br />

an abandoned residence in Colombia, the shipper’s name and address was fictitious and the<br />

contents falsely described. The boxes contained 16 firearms and each had its serial number<br />

obliterated. Agents intercepted two subsequent firearms shipments allegedly made by Regan to<br />

Colombian addresses. Records obtained during the investigation showed Arias, while living in<br />

Colombia, had allegedly signed for 12 <strong>of</strong> the 67 similarly suspicious packages addressed to her<br />

home and wire transferred more than $39,000 from a bank in Colombia to Regan’s account in the<br />

United States. At the time <strong>of</strong> the arrests, agents seized 50 lower and 13 upper receivers for AR-<br />

15 style semi-automatic rifles, an unregistered fully assembled short-barrel AR-15 rifle, two<br />

pieces <strong>of</strong> metal working machinery and 13 AR-15 style lower receivers. The Colombian National<br />

Police arrested three individuals in Colombia and dismantled a workshop where firearms were<br />

being assembled from the lower receivers Regan and Arias allegedly supplied and other essential<br />

components. This investigation was conducted by ATF and ICE.<br />

Firearms and Ammunition to Mexico – On Feb. 11, 2011, Isaac Cervantes-Sanchez and Leonel<br />

Richard Soto, were sentenced in the Southern District <strong>of</strong> Texas to 46 months in prison and 24<br />

months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the straw purchasing firearms and ammunition<br />

bound for Mexico. Cervantes-Sanchez was convicted <strong>of</strong> illegally exporting munitions, while<br />

Soto was convicted <strong>of</strong> lying to buy two AK-47s for Cervantes-Sanchez. Both men pleaded guilty<br />

to the <strong>of</strong>fenses in December 2010. In August 2009, federal agents saw the defendants load<br />

approximately 4,000 rounds <strong>of</strong> ammunition into a vehicle driven by Cervantes. CBP agents<br />

stopped Cervantes and Soto as they attempted to leave the United States. Cervantes admitted to<br />

exporting the ammunition to Mexico. Soto purchased two AK-47 type firearms for Cervantes and<br />

was paid $300 to do so. Both men have been in federal custody since their August 2008 arrest.<br />

The investigation was conducted by ATF, ICE and CBP.<br />

Ammunition to Mexico – On Feb. 11, 2011, Arnulfo Chavarin, Mariano Perez-Rodriguez and<br />

Francisco Chavez were arrested in the District <strong>of</strong> Arizona in connection with the export <strong>of</strong><br />

firearms and ammunition to Mexico. Authorities discovered 12,525 rounds <strong>of</strong> ammunition in<br />

44

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