As part of Operation Take Back America, an illegal alien from Mexico is sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for illegally possessing firearms (DOJ)

Thursday, September 24, 2026

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For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Arkansas

Ms. Paulette Chappelle, Public Affairs Officer

[email protected]

Defendant's sentence includes being convicted for illegal reentry after having been previously deported.

LITTLE ROCK-Candelario Gameros-Ante, who is in the United States illegally, will spend the next 144 months in federal prison after being convicted of being an illegal alien in possession of firearms, being a felon in possession of firearms, and illegal reentry into the United States after he was previously deported. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.

On June 3, 2025, Gameros-Ante, 47, of Mexico, was indicted by a federal grand jury in a three-count Indictment charging him with being a felon in possession of firearms, being an illegal alien in possession of firearms, and illegal reentry of a previously deported alien. On May 6, 2026, Gameros-Ante pleaded guilty to all three counts in the Indictment. In addition to the 12-year sentence, Judge Miller also sentenced Gameros-Ante to two years' supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

On May 10, 2025, Searcy Police Department officers responded to a vehicle accident to discover that the driver, who was a minor, was shot in the neck and paralyzed. During a search of the area, officers discovered three shell casings in a yard in the proximity of the shooting and ultimately arrested someone who identified himself as Edgar Gameros. After obtaining a search warrant and searching his address, Searcy officers discovered three firearms, including the firearm used to shoot the minor driver. An investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration revealed that Gameros-Ante was in fact the person who previously self-identified as Edgar Gameros at arrest.

Gameros-Ante currently has Arkansas state charges of Terroristic Act and Battery-First Degree pending against him that are related to the shooting of the minor.

Gameros-Ante was previously removed from the United States to Mexico after a January 7, 2004, felony conviction for conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to deliver. Gameros-Ante then illegally reentered the United States and assumed the identity of his brother, Edgar Gameros.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Searcy Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Crews.