Grand jury returns indictment on Florida man, charging him with smuggling firearms into Mexico following HSI, federal partner investigation

EAGLE PASS, Texas - A federal grand jury in Del Rio, Texas returned an indictment prior to the week of Dec. 21, 2022 charging a Florida man with smuggling firearms into Mexico. This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

According to court documents, Ivan Sanchez-Jorge, 39, of Clearwater, Florida was selected for vehicle inspection by CBP at Eagle Pass on Dec. 3 and gave multiple negative declarations for weapons, ammunition and currency in excess of $10,000. Upon inspection, CBP found and seized a .380 caliber pistol and two 12-gauge shotguns. Sanchez-Jorge is charged with one count of smuggling goods from the U.S.

The defendant is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Dec. 29 before a federal judge.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Brown, Western District of Texas, is prosecuting the case.

HSI is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 6,800 special agents assigned to 225 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.