Nevada Man Pleads Guilty to Supplying 140 High-Powered Weapons and Ammunition to Mexican Drug Cartels

A Nevada man, Luis Alberto Osorio, has entered a guilty plea for his involvement in supplying powerful firearms and ammunition to Mexican drug-trafficking organizations, engaging in money laundering, and illegally employing individuals in the U.S., according to Department of Justice officials.

Court documents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nevada indicate that Osorio conspired with co-defendants from April 2020 through September of last year to acquire 140 firearms, along with magazines and ammunition. These items were intended for sale to affiliates of violent Mexican drug cartels south of the border, yielding a profit for the network.

The arsenal included high-caliber, long-range weapons such as the Ohio Ordnance Works M2-SLR .50 BMG, the Barrett M82A1 and M107A1 .50 BMG anti-material rifles, the FN Herstal M249S 5.56x45mm, and the FN Herstal SCAR 17S 7.62x51mm rifles.

Osorio also admitted to employing individuals who were in the U.S. without legal authorization at a mining operation located in Nevada.

Hailing from Elko, Osorio formally pleaded guilty to multiple charges: one count of straw purchasing firearms, one count of trafficking in firearms, one count of harboring certain non-citizens, and one count of conspiracy to launder money.

He could face a maximum prison sentence of 70 years if convicted on all counts.

Impact on Border Communities

Firearms trafficking networks feed the violent cartels that terrorize border communities and pump illicit drugs into our neighborhoods. By cutting off this supply chain and holding this defendant accountable, we are directly disrupting the operational capabilities of these dangerous criminal organizations.

Sigal Chattah, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada, emphasized the gravity of the crimes in a statement. Osorio’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for February.

Trafficking military-style firearms and ammunition to drug trafficking organizations in Mexico fuels violence, strengthens criminal networks and threatens communities on both sides of the border. This guilty plea is the result of relentless work by HSI and the Homeland Security Task Force and our federal, state and local partners to disrupt the flow of weapons, money and criminal support that allows these organizations to operate.

Jonathan Sherwin, Deputy Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Las Vegas, highlighted the broader implications of such activities. He added that the guilty plea reflects