Brownsville resident sentenced to 46 months for facilitating export of firearms to Mexico

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 19-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison for attempting to illegally export firearms to Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Kenji Daniel Juarez pleaded guilty April 23 to receiving, concealing, buying, selling and facilitating the transportation, concealment and sale of firearms and ammunition magazines prior to exportation. 

U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. has now ordered Juarez to serve 46 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court reviewed additional evidence, including a photograph showing the weapons involved in the offense. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the weapons were highly dangerous and could have been used by the cartel for criminal purposes.

On Nov. 16, 2024, law enforcement observed Juarez receive multiple firearms from several people on two occasions at a gun show in McAllen. He later went to a residence in Brownsville, where authorities approached him.

A search of the home revealed seven handguns, eight semi-automatic rifles and 22 ammunition magazines in his bedroom. He admitted the firearms and magazines were intended for export to Mexico. He further acknowledged he had previously smuggled firearms and ammunition across the border.

Juarez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Castro prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.