13 Nov Three Sentenced to Combined 39.5 Years in Firearms Trafficking Case Tied to Laredo Crossings

Three people received a combined 39.5 years in prison Nov. 10 from a federal judge in Del Rio for a gun-trafficking scheme that involved repeated trips into Mexico through Laredo, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses gave Edgar Josue Montelongo-Loera, 39, of Dallas, 180 months, or 15 years. Reymundo Hernandez-Nino, 41, received 150 months, or 12½ years, and Kenia Lizbeth Montelongo, 31, received 144 months, or 12 years. The prosecutors’ office describes Hernandez-Nino as a man from Mexico who is in the country illegally. Montelongo is Montelongo-Loera’s sister and Hernandez-Nino’s wife.

All three pleaded guilty in February. Montelongo-Loera admitted Feb. 23 to a single conspiracy count tied to trafficking firearms. Three days later, Hernandez-Nino pleaded to smuggling goods from the United States and to being an alien in possession of a firearm, and Montelongo pleaded to smuggling goods from the United States and to sale or transfer to a prohibited person.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives learned in August 2024 that Montelongo had bought several guns between May 17 and July 5 of that year, among them seven .380 caliber pistols and one .22 caliber pistol. Within days of each purchase she drove into Mexico through Laredo, and Montelongo-Loera was recorded making the crossings with her, the office said, citing court filings. Prosecutors said he had posed with guns in his profile photos on social media.

Agents who looked through his WhatsApp messages that August found Montelongo-Loera telling someone that a “buddy” could get guns on request and that he knew who could carry them across. In November 2024, further messages showed him talking about his trafficking operation again, the office said.

The case moved quickly in July 2025. Montelongo-Loera was arrested July 14, when a co-conspirator was caught trying to carry eight handguns along with 19 magazines to Mexico. The Laredo Morning Times, citing court records, reported that this happened at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry and that the man told investigators that he was paid $150 to $200 per firearm and had taken 10 to 12 previous trips.

On July 16, ATF agents, San Antonio police and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations searched Hernandez-Nino’s home in San Antonio. They found 24 guns, a mix of pistols, AR-15 style rifles and one shotgun, plus upward of 4,000 bullets and multiple body armor sets. ATF concluded the items were headed to a drug cartel in Mexico. Agents arrested Hernandez-Nino and Montelongo as the search took place.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons called the matter “a massive case involving ten conspirators who smuggled more than 200 weapons into Mexico.” He said cartels use trafficked guns to protect their routes for moving drugs and people.

The Morning Times reported that the indictment described a conspiracy running from May 2024 to July 2025 and listed 32 firearms with their makes, models and serial numbers. Of the 10 defendants, eight have pleaded guilty and two are scheduled for trial, according to the newspaper. Some filings, among them plea agreements, remain sealed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Homeland Security Task Force.