South Texas man sentenced to more than 7 years for attempting to smuggle assault rifles into Mexico following ICE HSI, and federal partners assisted investigation
LAREDO, Texas – A south Texas man was sentenced Monday to 87 months in prison following his conviction for attempting to smuggle assault rifles into Mexico.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents assigned to Laredo along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with assistance from the Laredo Police Department conducted this investigation.
Manuel Dominquez, 29, from Laredo, was sentenced April 11 by U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana to serve 87 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the Judge noted Dominguez’s violent criminal history, the cache of weapons and ammunition in his home and the fact he was attempting to smuggle high-powered rifles into Mexico. Dominquez pleaded guilty Aug. 12, 2021.
“This successful case is a result of the steadfast efforts of HSI special agents to prevent firearms from falling into the hands of transnational criminal organizations that pose a threat to public safety both here and abroad,” said Special Agent in Charge, Shane Folden, HSI San Antonio. “We will continue working with our domestic and international law enforcement partners in this effort."
Dominquez was taken into custody following an undercover operation in May 2021. Someone in Mexico had sent him to pick up two Barrett .50 caliber rifles at a local hardware parking lot. Upon arrival, Dominguez inspected the firearms and provided three stacks of $9,900, wrapped in rubber bands.
Dominguez loaded the first firearm into the back seat of his car, at which time he was taken into custody. Authorities conducted a search at his residence where they found more firearms and over 6,000 rounds of ammunition.
The rifles were intended to go to members of the Cartel De Norte, a violent drug cartel in Mexico.
Dominguez was previously convicted in Webb, Texas, County of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. As such, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition per federal law.
He was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily report to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony J. Evans and Brandon Bowling, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted the case.
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. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 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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