Man Sentenced for Smuggling Firearms and Ammunition to Honduras

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Arlington man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for his role in the trafficking of firearms to his native country of Honduras.

According to court documents, in October 2018, Chris Rodriguez, 57, attempted to smuggle a firearm and 247 rounds of ammunition out of the United States, concealed in a bucket of roofing tar destined for Honduras. An inspection of the container by U.S. Customs and Border Protection using an X-Ray machine, showed the firearm and ammunition inside the bucket of tar. Further investigation revealed that Rodriguez purchased 26 firearms and illegally smuggled them to Honduras. Rodriguez would then travel to Honduras and sell the firearms on the street. 

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division; and Casey Durst, Director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Baltimore Field Office made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Walutes, Jr. and Senior Trial Attorney Heather Schmidt of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-153.