HSI, federal, local partner investigation leads to firearms, narcotics charges for Mexican national at Minneapolis airport

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal criminal complaint has been filed against a Mexican national after authorities at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport found firearms and methamphetamine in his luggage.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Minneapolis Airport Police.

According to court documents, on Oct. 29, Kevin Alan Aguilar-Moreno, 20, attempted to board a Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix, checking two suitcases prior to boarding. TSA agents screening luggage determined that Aguilar-Moreno’s baggage contained approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine; a FN, Model 509 9x19 pistol; a Rock Island Armory, 1911 A1-FS pistol; an AR-15-type firearm with no serial number; and 241 rounds of .223 ammunition, of which 39 were armor piercing ammunition.

Law enforcement determined that the AR-15 type firearm is a privately made firearm (PMF). These firearms are commonly known as “ghost guns” because they do not have serial numbers, which makes them difficult for law enforcement to trace.

Aguilar-Moreno is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing firearms while illegally present in the United States. Aguilar-Moreno made his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson in U.S. District Court.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Dunne is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. 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.

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