Illegal Immigrant Caught with Guns and Drugs Sentenced to Prison

ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced a man caught in an abandoned hospital with a machete and two firearms to 46 months in prison.

Arlin Alexis Bustillo, 34, pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court to one count of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of a false permanent resident card. He admitted being caught on July 31, 2025, by St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers in St. Alexius Hospital and arrested for trespassing. He had a large machete on the left side of his waistband and a stolen pistol on the right side. In a backpack, officers found a sawed-off .22-caliber rifle. He also had a fraudulent Social Security card and permanent resident card. Bustillo is a native of Honduras and will be deported when he completes his sentence.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phillip Voss and Ricardo Dixon prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department's commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump's Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.