A Nevada man has admitted guilt in a trafficking scheme that moved 140 firearms and related gear to Mexican drug organizations, laundered sales proceeds, and involved illegal employment at a Nevada mining firm.
A federal case in Nevada concluded this week with Luis Alberto Osorio pleading guilty to multiple felonies tied to firearms sales and harboring unauthorized workers. Prosecutors say the scheme spanned years and included purchases made for others connected to drug trafficking organizations operating in Mexico.
Court records show the conspiracy ran from April 1, 2020, through September 17, 2025, and involved coordinated buys of guns, magazines, and ammunition destined for sale across the border. The documents describe purchases made at the request of individuals affiliated with Mexican drug networks, then moved and sold for profit overseas.
Investigators report that Osorio and associates bought ammunition and 140 firearms, covering an array of powerful weapons and support equipment. The acquisitions included multiples of Ohio Ordnance Works M2-SLR .50 BMG, Barrett M82A1 and M107A1 .50 BMG anti-materiel rifles, FN Herstal M249S 5.56x45mm, and FH Herstal SCAR 17S 7.62x51mm rifles, along with magazines and other gear.
“Firearms trafficking networks feed the violent cartels that terrorize border communities and pump illicit drugs into our neighborhoods,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. The statement underscores federal officials’ focus on cutting off weapons flows that strengthen transnational criminal operations and contribute to local violence.
Osorio also admitted to harboring people unlawfully present in the United States, a charge that compounds the weapons offenses in this indictment. That admission ties the case to broader enforcement priorities involving illegal labor and human smuggling that often travel with other criminal enterprises.
“Trafficking military-style firearms and ammunition to drug trafficking organizations in Mexico fuels violence, strengthens criminal networks and threatens communities on both sides of the border,” said Jonathan Sherwin, Deputy Special Agent in Charge for HSI Las Vegas. “This guilty plea is the result of relentless work by HSI and the Homeland Security Task Force and our federal, state and local partners to disrupt the flow of weapons, money and criminal support that allows these organizations to operate.”
Osorio pleaded guilty to one count of straw purchasing of firearms, one count of trafficking in firearms, one count of harboring certain aliens, and one count of conspiracy to money launder. Those charges reflect both the procurement side of the operation and the financial mechanisms used to hide and move proceeds from the illicit sales.
“This case serves as an example of the effectiveness of the Homeland Security Task Force’s (HSTF) coordinated efforts in the region,” said Special Agent in Charge John Wester, San Francisco Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Through our participation in HSTF, ATF is working to disrupt major gun and drug trafficking organizations alongside DEA, FBI, HSI, and local partners. We are removing a significant cache of firearms, dangerous narcotics, and illicit proceeds from our neighborhoods. We are dedicated to our commitment of ensuring public safety. ATF and our partners will continue to honor our pledge by targeting violent offenders, trafficking organizations, and the criminal infrastructure that is the foundation for violence in the region.”
The federal statutes tied to these counts carry significant penalties; the total statutory maximum for the combined offenses reaches 70 years in prison. That exposure reflects the gravity with which prosecutors view coordinated trafficking of high-powered weapons and related criminal behavior that endangers public safety.
“In the world of organized crime and drug trafficking, guns and drugs go hand-in-hand,” said David S. Olesky, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Los Angeles Field Division, which covers Nevada. “As a member of the Homeland Security Task Force, DEA and our partners will bring to bear all resources and draw on the full scope of our agencies’ expertise to hold accountable those individuals and organizations which pose a public health and safety threat to our communities through the trafficking of drugs and firearms.”
Sentencing for Osorio is set for February 11, 2027, and any sentence will be determined by the court after consideration of statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines. Those guidelines take multiple variables into account when judges calculate an appropriate term.
The investigation was carried out by the Homeland Security Task Force, bringing together agents from the FBI, HSI, DEA, ATF, IRS-CI, Las Vegas Metro Police Department, United States Marshals Service, and the Nevada Gaming Commission. The prosecution is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.
This matter is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established under Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, a whole-of-government partnership targeting criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational organizations, and human smuggling rings. The HSTF emphasizes coordinated investigations and prosecutions aimed at dismantling the criminal infrastructure that enables violence, including offenses involving children and violent criminal aliens, while leveraging interagency resources to remove the most dangerous offenders from U.S. communities.
