A Nevada man has pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges after admitting that he purchased high-powered firearms and ammunition intended for people connected to drug-trafficking organizations in Mexico.
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The man, identified as Luis Alberto Osorio, entered his guilty plea on Friday after prosecutors said he conspired with co-defendants between April 2020 and September 2025 to acquire firearms, magazines and ammunition that were intended to be sold across the border for profit.
According to court documents, approximately 140 firearms were purchased as part of the scheme. Prosecutors said the weapons were intended for individuals affiliated with violent Mexican drug-trafficking organizations.
The firearms involved included several powerful rifles, including the Ohio Ordnance Works M2-SLR .50 BMG, Barrett M82A1 and M107A1 .50 BMG anti-materiel rifles, as well as the FN Herstal M249S 5.56x45mm and FN Herstal SCAR 17S 7.62x51mm rifles.
Authorities said the weapons were acquired as part of an illegal trafficking operation in which firearms would ultimately be moved south of the United States border and sold for financial gain.
In addition to the firearms-related offences, Osorio admitted during the proceedings that he had employed people illegally in the United States at a mining company in Nevada.
He pleaded guilty to one count of straw purchasing of firearms, one count of trafficking in firearms, one count of harboring certain aliens and one count of conspiracy to launder money.
If convicted on all the charges, Osorio could face a maximum sentence of up to 70 years in prison.
His sentencing is expected to take place by February 2027.
In a statement released by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada, prosecutors stressed the dangers posed by firearms trafficking networks supplying violent criminal organizations.
“Firearms trafficking networks feed the violent cartels that terrorize border communities and pump illicit drugs into our neighborhoods.
“By cutting off this supply chain and holding this defendant accountable, we are directly disrupting the operational capabilities of these dangerous criminal organizations.