Torres’ group recruited “straw purchasers,” U.S. citizens with no criminal backgrounds, to buy guns. The recruits included grandmothers like Mary Helen Ramos, 65, and Genoveva Fiscal Cuellar, 60, as well as single mothers like Lisa Campos, who has six children.
Ten members of a gun ring that provided numerous assault rifles to the Zetas drug cartel in Mexico were sentenced Thursday.
Of those, most received probation sentences ranging from one year to three years, except for Joseph “Joey” Ricarte Jr., and his cousin Eddie Ramos. They got the maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Ricarte and Ramos admitted they recruited others into the ring to buy guns. Records show the ring was led by Jimmy H. “El Gallo” Torres, 27, who has pleaded guilty for his role and awaits sentencing Jan. 17, along with 10 others.
A 33-count indictment initially charged 21 people and accused them mostly of lying on federal firearms forms by claiming they were buying guns for themselves. The group bought nearly 40 AK-47 rifles exclusively, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bettina Richardson said.
Court records said the guns were handed over to Torres, who told at least one member of his cell that the guns were for the Zetas. Records describe Torres as a “facilitator” for the cartel, whose members have easily gotten around U.S. laws forbidding foreigners or people charged with certain crimes from possessing guns.
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