Press Release
Six Charged Federally in Glock Switch Takedown
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas
Six federal defendants involved in the sale of switches via social media were arrested in a joint takedown by ATF Dallas and the Irving Police Department on Thursday, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Marnelius Burks, 20, Marco Cabrales, 22, Royce Weaver, 21, were charged in one indictment with possession and transfer of a machinegun, aiding and abetting the possession and transfer of a machinegun, and conspiracy to possess and transfer a machinegun. Damien Sereseroz, 21, and Gracie Valadez, 20, were charged in a separate indictment with aiding and abetting the possession and transfer of a machine gun. Anthony Joel Cantu, 18, was charged via criminal complaint with possession of a machinegun.
The defendants made their initial appearances in federal court on Monday.
“Six months ago, we pledged to deploy the full force of the federal government against those who traffic in machinegun conversion devices. With the help of our law enforcement partners, we’ve done just that,” said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton. “In the hands of a criminal, these illegal devices exponentially increase a firearm’s lethality. We will not allow them to overtake our streets.”
“Unfortunately for the bad guys, the good guys work together. It may not always look that way in Hollywood, but fortunately for our citizens, we work better together than any criminal organization out there. We promised an all-out blitz on machine gun conversion devices last year, and this case shows that our team has all the momentum. I would like to thank the Irving Police Department, specifically their ultra talented detective team, and all our law enforcement partners for this collective win for the people of the DFW metroplex” stated ATF Dallas Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II.
“I want to commend the collaborative effort between the Irving Police Department and ATF Dallas in addressing the serious issue of illegal firearm modifications. Our commitment to public safety remains unwavering, and we will continue to work diligently to prevent the proliferation of dangerous weapons in our community.”
According to court documents, Mr. Burks and Mr. Weaver allegedly ordered switches from China off the internet and had them shipped to North Texas. Mr. Cabrales allegedly advertised the switches on social media and sold them to an undercover.
Mr. Cantu also allegedly advertised the sale of switches, as well as drop-in sears, on social media. On Dec. 3, 2024, he allegedly met with an undercover officer to deliver one. When asked if the sear in question made rifles fire fully automatic, Mr. Cantu allegedly responded, “hell yeah, my boy,” and said he had one on his own AR-style pistol.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations of criminal conduct, not evidence. Mr. Burks, Mr. Cabrales, Mr. Weaver, Mr. Sereseroz, Ms. Valdez, and Mr. Cantu are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, they each face up to 10 years in federal prison.
Two juveniles arrested in the takedown are being charged by the state. They, too, are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives’ Dallas Field Division and Irving Police Department conducted the investigation with the help of Homeland Security Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and the Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marissa Aulbaugh and Eric B. Chen are prosecuting the cases.
Thursday’s takedown was part of “Operation Texas Kill Switch,” a statewide initiative taking aim at machinegun conversion devices, also known as “switches,” which transform commercially available semi-automatic firearms into fully-automatic weapons capable of firing faster than military-grade machine guns. Launched by U.S. Attorneys Leigha Simonton, Alamdar Hamdani, Damien Diggs, and Jaime Esparza in June 2024, Operation Texas Kill Switch relies on partnerships with state and local law enforcement as well as rewards offered by Crime Stoppers.
The arrests were also part of Irving Police Department’s “Operation Reel Switch,” targeting the illegal possession and distribution of machinegun conversion devices in the metroplex. A partnership between Irving Police, ATF Dallas and Homeland Security Investigations Dallas, Operation Reel Switch was launched in September 2024. To date, law enforcement involved in the operation have seized 38 machinegun conversion devices and several guns.
Contact
Erin Dooley
Press Officer
214-659-8707
erin.dooley@usdoj.gov
Updated January 14, 2025
Topic
Firearms Offenses