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US man convicted of smuggling thousands of gun parts to Mexican cartels
🇲🇽 Mexico /Crime & Justice

US man convicted of smuggling thousands of gun parts to Mexican cartels

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A U.S. man, Chandler Britain Bradford, was found guilty of smuggling thousands of firearm parts into Mexico for drug cartels.
  • Prosecutors stated Bradford trafficked enough parts to build 5,700 high-powered rifles, using warehouses in Texas to conceal the merchandise.
  • Bradford faces up to 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for November 19; two Mexican nationals involved in the scheme have already received prison sentences.

An American man has been convicted in the U.S. for his role in smuggling thousands of firearm parts to Mexican drug cartels. Chandler Britain Bradford, from New Braunfels, Texas, was found guilty of selling and smuggling weapon parts into Mexico, as well as money laundering.

Chandler Bradford knew that the drug cartels were using these weapons to secure their territory and the routes they used to bring drugs into the United States.

— Justin SimmonsProsecutor Justin Simmons explaining the defendant's knowledge of the weapons' end-use during a press conference announcing the verdict.

Prosecutors revealed that Bradford trafficked enough parts to assemble 5,700 high-powered rifles. He allegedly used warehouses in Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley to hide the legally purchased merchandise before smuggling it across the border. "Chandler Bradford knew that the drug cartels were using these weapons to secure their territory and the routes they used to bring drugs into the United States," stated prosecutor Justin Simmons.

Bradford employed a "complex scheme" involving handwritten sales logs, text messages, and bank transfers to shell companies in Mexico. Simmons emphasized the U.S. motivation: "We don't do this work for Mexico or to make Mexico safe. Although we want Mexico to be safe, we do this, at the end of the day, for the millions of Americans."

We don't do this work for Mexico or to make Mexico safe. Although we want Mexico to be safe, we do this, at the end of the day, for the millions of Americans.

— Justin SimmonsProsecutor Justin Simmons explaining the motivation behind the U.S. law enforcement's actions.

Sentencing for Bradford is set for November 19, where he faces a potential 20-year prison sentence. Two Mexican accomplices, José Francisco García Cervantes and Ricardo Rodríguez Sotelo, have already been sentenced to 57 and 78 months in prison, respectively. U.S. authorities are still searching for two other individuals linked to the case: Julio César Gómez Mendoza, identified as the weapons recipient in Monterrey, and Octavio Javier Quiroga Treviño.

We will use all resources at our disposal to prosecute these individuals who support these organizations, whether here in the United States or in Mexico.

— Justin SimmonsProsecutor Justin Simmons warning that authorities will pursue fugitives involved in the case.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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