Undocumented Alien with Guns Convicted

LAREDO, Texas – A Mexican national living illegally in Laredo has been convicted of having a firearm in violation of federal law, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.

Jose Angel Villarreal-Sanchez, 42, entered his guilty plea this morning before U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo.

Following a tip, law enforcement went to Villarreal-Sanchez’s home in Laredo on May 14, 2015, where he had been living illegally for some time. It was there that agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) discovered he possessed a pistol and a firearm in his bedroom. A criminal complaint was filed the following day which further detailed that agents had also found three baggies of cocaine hidden in some chicken feed in Villarreal-Sanchez’s back yard.

Villarreal-Sanchez has been in custody since his arrest on May 14, 2015, where he will remain pending his sentencing hearing, set for Dec. 7, 2015. At that time, he faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.

The investigation leading to the charges was conducted by HSI with the assistance of the Laredo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez is prosecuting the case.