Three men sentenced to prison for scheme to smuggle firearms to Honduras

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Two Honduran nationals were sentenced to prison today for attempting to smuggle firearms from the United States to Honduras. A co-conspirator was sentenced previously.

According to court documents, in August 2024, Jesuan Johan Solano Canales, 26, a fraudulently naturalized U.S. citizen, and his cousin Elder Adrian Mejia Canales, 29, a Honduran national with permanent resident alien status, asked Pablo Ricardo Vallejo, 43, to send a box to Honduras for them because, as they explained, the shipper they used previously would not let them send any boxes because they had sent too many recently. Vallejo agreed, and Jesuan Canales and Elder Canales provided the box and the destination address in Honduras to Vallejo and paid for the shipment.

Vallejo arranged shipping through a common carrier.  Vallejo completed a shipping manifest, declaring falsely that the box contained an alternator, clothes, and shoes while omitting that the box contained firearms. When asked for identification, Vallejo presented a false U.S. permanent resident card. The carrier business owners inspected the contents of the box and discovered four firearms inside a fan, concealed to avoid detection prior to exportation. The carrier contacted law enforcement, who took custody of the firearms.

On Feb. 25, 2025, law enforcement searched Vallejo’s residence and seized the false U.S. permanent resident card.

On April 21, law enforcement arrested Jesuan Canales and Elder Canales and searched their residence. During the search, investigators seized over two dozen firearms including an unregistered rifle with a 10.5-inch barrel.

On May 18, 2024, Jesuan Canales made a false statement under oath in his Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, when he responded in the negative to the question, “Have you EVER committed, agreed to commit, asked someone else to commit, helped commit, or tried to commit a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?” Prior to receiving his Certificate of Naturalization, on Sept. 21, 2024, Jesuan Canales completed a Form N-445, Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony, in which he responded in the negative to the question, “Since your interview, have you committed any crime or offense, for which you have not been arrested?’ Jesuan Canales knew these statements were false as he had been conspiring to unlawfully export firearms from the United States.

Jesuan Canales pled guilty on July 8 to attempted smuggling and naturalization fraud. He was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison and his fraudulently obtained naturalization was removed.

Elder Canales pled guilty on July 1 to attempted smuggling. He was sentenced today to a year and six months in prison.

Vallejo pled guilty on Aug. 7, 2025, to attempted smuggling and immigration document fraud. He was sentenced on Feb. 26 to two years in prison.

Theophani K. Stamos, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Kai Wah Chan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald L. Walutes, Jr., prosecuted the case.

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. 1:26-cr-89.