Winnsboro Man Sentenced to 4 Years in Federal Prison for Smuggling Firearms into Mexico

DEL RIO, Texas - A Mexican national with Legal Permanent Resident status was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio to 48 months in prison for smuggling firearms and other goods from the United States into Mexico.

According to court documents, Miguel Tapia-Barcenas, 23, of Winnsboro, gave negative declarations for firearms, ammunition and currency over $10,000 while traveling through the Del Rio Port of Entry into Mexico July 14, 2022. Customs and Border Protection officers searched his vehicle and the attached trailer, revealing four semiautomatic pistols, 2,688 ammunition rounds of various calibers, and several magazines. Tapia-Barcenas said that he was being paid by a third party to smuggle firearms into Mexico and had done so on two previous occasions.

U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

Homeland Security Investigations and CBP investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jayvee Rhoda prosecuted the case.

###