4 sentenced in NM border-town gun smuggling case

Four people have been sentenced for their roles in a New Mexico gun smuggling ring that prosecutors say shipped nearly 200 guns to Mexican drug cartels.

The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://bit.ly/QRZ9w8) that Gabriela Gutierrez, the wife of former Columbus trustee Blas Gutierrez, was sentenced Tuesday to two years in federal prison under a plea agreement. Authorities say Gutierrez conspired with her husband and others to buy weapons that were intended to be smuggled into Mexico.

In addition, 42-year-old Alberto Rivera was sentenced to seven years for acting as a straw buyer. Thirty-one-year-old Miguel Carrillo was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison for making straw purchases and 26-year-old Manuel Ortega was sentenced to five years for smuggling at least 50 weapons.

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Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com