Nevada man pleads guilty to providing 140 firearms to drug trafficking organizations in Mexico

A Nevada man pleaded guilty to purchasing 140 firearms for drug trafficking organizations in Mexico, as well as laundering the proceeds and employing illegal immigrants, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Luis Alberto Osorio of Elko, Nevada,

 

admitted to several charges on Friday, the District of Nevada U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a news release.

The charges include:

• One count of straw purchasing of firearms;
• One count of trafficking in firearms;
• One count of harboring aliens;
• One count of conspiracy to money launder.

From April 1, 2020, to September 17, 2025, Osorio conspired with co-defendants to purchase firearms, magazines and ammunition on behalf of people affiliated with drug trafficking organizations in Mexico.

 

The 140 firearms purchased by Osorio included multiple large-caliber and long-range firearms.

Osorio also admitted to harboring people who unlawfully resided in the United States to employ them at a Nevada mining company, according to the DOJ.

“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 Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) Las Vegas.

 

“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 also covers Nevada.

“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. “By cutting off this supply chain and holding this defendant accountable, we are directly disrupting the operational capabilities of these dangerous criminal organizations.”

The case was investigated by a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) task force made up of special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the HSI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of  Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, and Nevada Gaming Commission. The District of Nevada is leading the prosecution of the case.

The total statutory maximum penalty Osorio faces is 70 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for February 11, 2027.