HSI Nogales investigation leads to 24-month prison sentence in firearms trafficking case
NOGALES, Ariz. — A judge sentenced Luis Carlos Martinez-Chacon, 35, of Chihuahua, Mexico, to two years in prison and one year of supervised release on Feb. 22. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case.
Martinez-Chacon further pleaded guilty to one count of smuggling goods from the United States.
On June 29, 2022, Martinez-Chacon attempted to enter Mexico through the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales. While searching his vehicle, Customs and Border Protection officers found a 9mm Berretta pistol, a 9mm Glock 19 pistol, an FN Five-Seven rifle with a filed-off serial number, a .45-caliber Colt M1911 pistol, a Smith & Wesson 629 Classic .44 Magnum, a 17-round Magpul magazine, two 15-round Berretta magazines, two 20-round FN Five-Seven magazines, two seven-round Colt 1911 magazines, 1,840 rounds of .223 ammunition, and six rounds of .45 caliber ammunition. The items were hidden inside the dashboard and center console of the vehicle.
Martinez-Chacon admitted that he expected to be paid in exchange for delivering the firearms, magazines and ammunition to someone in Mexico.
“HSI is dedicated to making our communities safer by bringing criminals to justice by preventing firearms from falling into the hands of transnational criminal organizations who pose a threat to public safety both here and abroad,” said HSI Arizona Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown.
Assistant United States Attorney Sarah B. Houston, District of Arizona, Tucson, prosecuted the case.
HSI is 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. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 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.
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