Mexican gang member sentenced for illegally acquiring multiple firearms

Editor's Note:
This matter occurred on date indicated, but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.   

LAREDO, Texas – A 40-year-old member of the Hermanos de Pistoleros Latinos gang has been sentenced for orchestrating a straw-purchasing scheme that funneled dozens of firearms to a Mexican cartel, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Jesus Guadalupe Covarrubias, Laredo, pleaded guilty March 20.

U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña has now ordered Covarrubias to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Covarrubias’s central role in directing the scheme, the number and type of weapons involved and his decision to flee the United States while on bond. The court also heard about allegations involving Covarrubias to include the killing of a man at a bar he owned before fleeing to Mexico.

Between 2018 and July 2021, Covarrubias organized an operation to illegally acquire at least 50 firearms. He instructed family members to visit federally licensed firearms dealers, photograph available weapons and purchase specific firearms and ammunition using his funds. They then delivered the weapons to Covarrubias, despite his prohibition under federal law from possessing firearms due to his status as a convicted felon.

Following a dispute with a Mexican cartel in 2021, a deal was struck to spare his life in exchange for cash and several items to include his long rifles. After they were delivered, Covarrubias arranged for the filing of a false report claiming that 10 AK-style and 20 AR-style rifles had been stolen from his ranch.

Authorities identified inconsistencies in the claim and questioned its authenticity but did determine that at least 23 rifles purchased for Covarrubias could not be located. Among those was a .50 caliber rifle valued at $10,000.

Covarrubias then attempted to move the remaining weapons in his possession. On Aug. 25, 2021, he and others moved firearms from his residence to other locations. Law enforcement discovered three additional firearms wrapped in sheets and hidden in Covarrubias’s backyard.

After his arrest in August 2021, Covarrubias was permitted release upon posting bond. He then fled to Mexico where law enforcement there took him into custody on unrelated charges. He was returned to U.S. authorities Feb. 21.   

Covarrubias will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. 

ATF conducted the investigation with assistance from Webb County Sheriff’s Office and Laredo Police Department. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Covarrubias. U.S. Marshals Service completed the removal of Covarrubias from Mexico to the Southern District of Texas. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Day prosecuted the case.