Del Rio Court Sentences Mexican National to 15 Years for Firearms Trafficking

Jose De La Cruz-Cardoza, 52, of Piedras Negras told investigators he had done it before, roughly 10 to 12 times, collecting between $150 and $200 per firearm. That admission, combined with eight handguns and 19 magazines found hidden in his vehicle at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry, ultimately landed him 15 years in federal prison following sentencing in Del Rio.

The case began July 12, 2025, when Cruz-Cardoza underwent an outbound inspection at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry and declared he was carrying no firearms, ammunition, or currency over $10,000. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection search of his vehicle told a different story. Agents found the eight handguns and 19 magazines concealed inside. Cruz-Cardoza later pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms and was sentenced in federal court in Del Rio to 180 months in prison and fined $15,000.

The arrest did not end with Cruz-Cardoza. Four days after the Eagle Pass seizure, on July 16, 2025, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the San Antonio Police Department, and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations executed a search warrant at a San Antonio residence connected to co-conspirator Reymundo Hernandez-Nino. Court documents referenced in the case carry the caption "USA v Hernandez-Nino et al," indicating the investigation extended well beyond the single stop at the border crossing.

The Del Rio federal courthouse has seen a string of similar trafficking convictions tied to the Texas-Mexico corridor. In a separate case, also adjudicated in Del Rio, Martin Edgar Garza Pacheco, 42, of Coahuila, Mexico, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for coordinating the purchase of dozens of guns in San Antonio and smuggling them across the border. That case was investigated by ATF, ICE Homeland Security Investigations, and CBP.

The $150-to-$200-per-gun payment that Cruz-Cardoza described to investigators reflects the economic structure that prosecutors in the Western District of Texas have repeatedly cited in cross-border trafficking cases: modest per-unit fees to couriers moving weapons south while cartel demand keeps the pipeline active. Cruz-Cardoza's own admissions placed him as a repeat participant in that network, with more than a dozen prior runs before CBP stopped him at Eagle Pass.

The original case record contained a truncated reference suggesting the investigation may be part of a broader named federal operation, though the specific operation name was not confirmed in available court documents.