COLUMBUS OFFICIALS SWEPT IN UP FED FIREARMS RAID

LAS CRUCES - A police chief, a mayor, a village trustee and eight
others, including a Mexican citizen, have been indicted for allegedly
trafficking firearms in Do-a Ana and Luna counties to Mexico, U.S.
Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced Thursday.

Columbus Chief of Police Angelo Vega, Columbus Mayor Eddie Espinoza
and Village Trustee Blas Gutierrez are three the 11 defendants charged
in the 84-count federal indictment, which was unsealed Thursday
afternoon after two-county raids that began in the early hours Thursday.

"Gutierrez, Espinoza and Vega were duty sworn to protect and safeguard
the people of Columbus, N.M.," said Gonzales, in announcing the
indictment Thursday. "Instead, they increased the risk of harm that
the people of Columbus face every day by allegedly using their
official positions to facilitate and safeguard the operations of a
smuggling ring that was exporting firearms to Mexico. Today's
indictment reflects our unwavering resolve to ensure safety along our
Southwest border and to expose and prosecute corrupt officials who
seek to profit at the expense of the citizenry they are sworn to protect."

An indictment is only an accusation. All criminal defendants are
entitled to a presumption of innocence until proven guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt.

The group, headquartered in Columbus, N.M., have been charged with
smuggling firearms, conspiracy and making false statements to acquire
the weapons.

Ten of the defendants were arrested without incident Thursday morning
by teams of federal, state and local law enforcement officers and will
make their initial appearances today in the federal courthouse in Las
Cruces. However, [name4 redacted] has not been apprehended and is
considered a fugitive.

The officers also executed 10 search warrants at eight residences, one
business establishment and at the office of the Columbus Police Department.

Guns seized

Between January 2010 and March of this year, the defendants allegedly
conspired to purchase firearms for illegal export to Mexico, according
to the indictment.

About 200 firearms - AK-47-type pistols - weapons resembling shortened
AK-47 rifles - and American Tactical 9 mm caliber pistols, all
firearms favored by Mexican drug cartels - were allegedly purchased
from Chaparral Guns in Chaparral, N.M., owned and operated by
defendant Ian Garland. The purchasers were allegedly "straw
purchasers," buying the guns on behalf of others.

Law enforcement officers have seized 40 AK-47-type pistols, 1,580
rounds of 7.62 ammunition and 30 high-capacity magazines from the
defendants before they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. No weapons were
knowingly permitted to cross the border, according to the U.S.
Attorney's Office, but 12 firearms later found in Mexico were
allegedly traced back to purchase by the defendants, according to the
indictment.

Security priority

"This investigation, along with the countless others that ATF and HSI
have pursued jointly over the past several years, provides further
proof that the trafficking of firearms to Mexico continues to be a
significant problem," said William Newell, special agent in charge of
the ATF Phoenix Field Division. "The good news is that all the
agencies involved in this investigation were fully committed to
joining forces to stop this activity, and the results speak for
themselves."

ICE and DEA officials echoed those sentiments.

"Identifying and arresting individuals involved in criminal
activities, especially weapons and drug trafficking, in our homeland
is a national security priority for ICE," said Manuel Oyola-Torres,
special agent in charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigation in El
Paso. "ICE HSI special agents will continue working shoulder to
shoulder with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to
stop the flow of drugs, weapons and other contraband across the
U.S.-Mexico border."

The raid came just one day after U.S. authorities indicted 35 alleged
leaders, members and associates of the Barrio Azteca gang in El Paso,
including 10 men charged in connection with the killing of three
people linked to the U.S. Consulate in Juarez last year. The FBI-led a
multi-agency strike against the bi-national gang and arrested 12
people during raids Wednesday morning in El Paso and southern New Mexico.

"This investigation is an example of our collective efforts to attack
drug trafficking organizations at every level, including their
important corruption components and gun suppliers," said Joseph M.
Arabit, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration
for the El Paso Division. "Three of the 11 members of this conspiracy
are government officials who violated the public trust by using their
positions to facilitate and engage in illegal arms trafficking. We,
along with our law enforcement partners, are committed to rooting out
this type of corruption and will not allow the criminal activities of
a few to tarnish the honorable work that officers and local elected
officials perform every day in this region."

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan
Lichvarcik and Michael Nammar and was investigated primarily by ATF,
HSI and DEA, with significant assistance from Texas U.S. Attorney John
E. Murphy and his El Paso Branch Office staff. It was also supported
by the Comandante Chihuahua State Police in Palomas, Mexico and the
Secretariat of Public Security in Juarez, Mexico. Further assistance
during the investigation was provided by the U.S. Marshal's Service,
U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, New Mexico
State Police, the Las Cruces Police Department, the El Paso Police
Department, and other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

If convicted of conspiracy to smuggle firearms from the U.S. to Mexico
and with making false statements in connection with the acquisition of
firearms, each defendant could receive a sentence of five years of
imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for each charge.

If convicted with making false statements in connection with the
acquisition of firearms, each defendant could face a maximum penalty
of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for each charge.

If convicted of unlawfully concealing and facilitating the
transportation of firearms knowing that the firearms were intended for
exportation from the U.S., each defendant could face a maximum of 10
years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for each charge.

Swept up

Those charged in Thursday's Southern New Mexico sweep:

In Columbus

Police Chief Angelo Vega, 40, is charged with conspiracy.

Mayor Eddie Espinoza, 51, is charged with three counts of firearms
smuggling, three counts of making false statements about acquiring
firearms and conspiracy.

Village Trustee Blas "Woody" Gutierrez, 30, is charged with 19 counts
of firearms smuggling, 17 counts of making false statements in
connection about acquiring firearms and conspiracy.

[name1 redacted], 24, is charged with two counts of
smuggling firearms and one count conspiracy.

[name2 redacted], 40, is charged with nine counts of firearms
smuggling, nine counts of making false statements about acquiring
firearms and conspiracy.

[name3 redacted], 26, is charged with firearms smuggling and
conspiracy.

[name4 redacted], 30, is charged with three counts of firearms
smuggling, two counts of making false statements about acquiring
firearms and conspiracy.

[name5 redacted], 25, of Palomas, Mexico, is charged with
firearms smuggling and conspiracy.

[name6 redacted], 25, is charged with three counts of firearms
smuggling, three counts of making false statements about acquiring
firearms and conspiracy.

In Las Cruces

[name7 redacted], 21, is charged with making false statements
about acquiring firearms and conspiracy.

In Chaparral, N.M.

[name8 redacted], 50, is charged with one count of firearms smuggling, six
counts of making false statements about acquiring firearms and
conspiracy.