Columbus Man Sentenced to Prison for Violating the Federal Firearms Laws

ALBUQUERQUE – Jose Valladolid, 45, of Columbus, N.M., was sentenced this morning in federal court in Las Cruces, N.M., to 51 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of firearms.

Valladolid was arrested on Aug. 6, 2014, at the Columbus International Port of Entry (POE) in Luna County, N.M., for being a felon in possession of firearms, and attempting to export those firearms out of the United States.  U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers at the Columbus Port of Entry together with U.S. Border Patrol Agents assisting them with vehicle inspections arrested Valladolid after they found two semi-automatic rifles and ammunition in his vehicle.  At the time, Valladolid was prohibited from possessing firearms because he previously had been convicted of a marijuana trafficking crime.

Valladolid was indicted in Nov. 2014, on a two-count indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, and fraudulently attempting to smuggle two rifles out of the United States.

On Dec. 11, 2014, Valladolid pled guilty to Count 1 of the indictment and admitted possessing the two semi-automatic rifles and ammunition discovered in his vehicle on Aug. 6, 2014, which he was attempting to smuggle into Mexico in order to deliver to another person.  He also admitted that he was prohibited from possessing the firearms because he was a convicted felon.

This case was investigated by the Deming office of HSI, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Las Cruces office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, and the Las Cruces office of the DEA.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brock  Taylor of the Las Cruces Branch Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case.