Texas man pleads guilty to firearm trafficking conspiracy linked to Mexican cartel—
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A 24-year-old legal permanent resident has admitted to conspiring to straw purchase a firearm, according to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Javier Sebastian Vazquez-Ponce confessed to recruiting another individual to buy a .50-caliber semi-automatic rifle on his behalf, knowing it was intended for a drug trafficking organization in Mexico. Authorities identified a suspicious attempt to purchase the rifle with approximately $10,000 in cash on Dec. 2, 2025. Vazquez-Ponce and others crossed into Mexico after placing the order and returned two days later to retrieve the firearm, at which point law enforcement took them into custody.
Theinvestigationuncoveredtextmessagesdetailingtheschemeandadditionalfirearmtraffickingactivities.Vazquez-PonceadmittedthepurchasemoneycamefromtheGulfCartelinMexico.U.S.DistrictJudgeNelvaGonzalezRamoswillimposesentencingonMay13,whereVazquez-Poncefacesupto25yearsinfederalprisonandapossible$250,000fine.Heremainsincustodypendinghissentencinghearing.
Theinve
