28 charged with firearms offenses in HSTF takedown (DOJ)

PHOENIX, Ariz. - On July 21, following a two-year investigation, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a 158-count indictment against Fernando Daniel Castro, Cruz Rafael Castro, Marque J'von Rogers, Taquan Antonio M. Carter, Zaccheus Faith Baselt, Juan Manuel Torres Perez, and 15 others for Conspiracy to Unlawfully Purchase Firearms for the Purpose of Dealing in Firearms Without a License, Making False Statements During the Purchase of a Firearm, Dealing in Firearms Without a License, and Conspiracy to Traffic Firearms.

The indictment alleges that Fernando Daniel Castro of Phoenix and certain co-conspirators recruited others to purchase firearms from Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) in Arizona in exchange for payment. The firearms were purchased on behalf of Castro, who would then sell the firearms for profit. According to the indictment, Castro sold some of the firearms, including Glock 19 pistols and AK-style rifles, knowing or having reason to believe that they would be exported outside of the United States.

The Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) investigation that led to this 158-count indictment developed from information gathered in four previously charged federal cases.

On March 31, 2026, Emmanual Rabena-Velderrain of Mexico, pleaded guilty to Attempted Smuggling of Goods from the United States. Rabena-Velderrain was caught trying to cross the border into Mexico on Feb. 17, 2025, with 42 AK-style rifles and 42 7.62x39 magazines in his vehicle. Rabena-Velderrain is scheduled for sentencing on August 17, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Scott H. Rash in Tucson.

On April 27, 2026, Amairany Guadalupe Armendariz Alvarez, of Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan M. Brnovich to 24 months in prison. Alvarez previously pleaded guilty to Alien in Possession of a Firearm. In her plea, Alvarez admitted to entering the United States with a non-immigrant visa and traveling to Phoenix to pick up three M249 rifles and a Colt pistol. She also admitted that she knew that the firearms were going to be smuggled into Mexico.

On May 13, 2026, Alejandro Rodriguez and Maricruz Carrillo, both of Phoenix, pleaded guilty to Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition. They each admitted to possessing an M249 rifle, a Barrett .50 BMG rifle, an FN SCAR rifle, 12 AK-style rifles, 6 pistols, and 57,000 rounds of ammunition at their Phoenix residence after being convicted of a felony offense. Rodriguez and Carrillo are both scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 19. 2026, before U.S. District Judge Sharad H. Desai.

On June 24, 2026, Jose Daniel Medina, of Mexico, and on July 1, 2026, Juan Jesus Estevez, of Mexico, each pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Smuggle Firearms and Ammunition from the United States. In their pleas, Medina and Estevez admitted to conspiring to obtain firearms and ammunition in Arizona that were then smuggled across the border for buyers in Mexico. Both men are scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 11, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Krissa M. Lanham. A third co-conspirator, Christian Alberto Pereida Ramirez, of Nogales, Arizona, is scheduled for a change of plea hearing on August 12, 2026. As part of this investigation, law enforcement seized 10 pistols and 56,000 rounds of ammunition.

To date, HSTF partners have executed numerous federal search warrants on social media accounts, telephones, residences, and vehicles as part of this investigation. Law enforcement agents have also seized over 100 firearms and over 125,000 rounds of ammunition in Arizona.

A conviction for Conspiracy to Traffic Firearms and Prohibited Possessor of Firearms and/or Ammunition carries a maximum penalty of 15 years, a $250,000 fine, or both. A conviction for Smuggling Goods Outside the United States carries a maximum penalty of 10 years, a $250,000 fine, or both. A conviction for Conspiracy, Making False Statements During the Purchase of a Firearm, or Dealing in Firearms Without a License all carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Phoenix comprises agents and officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Marshals Service, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, United States Customs and Border Protection, United States Border Patrol, United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Secret Service, and the Bureau of Land Management, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) Border Patrol are handling the investigation, with assistance from the Pinal County Sheriff's Office and the United States Department of Commerce. The FBI's Phoenix Division and the Goodyear Police Department assisted in the arrests. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Maria R. Gutierrez and Benjamin Goldberg, District of Arizona, are handling the prosecutions in Phoenix. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Precup, District of Arizona, is handling the prosecution in Tucson.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

CASE NUMBER: 26-CR-00818-PHX-SHD (Castro, et al.); 25-CR-01537-TUC-SHD (Rabena-Velderrain); CR-25-00540-PHX-SHD (Rodriguez, et al.); CR-25-00383-PHX-KML (Estevez, et al.); 25-CR-00684-PHX-SMB (Alvarez)

RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-131_Castro, et al.

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