Juarez man caught smuggling guns, meth in El Paso sentenced to 25 years

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- 52-year-old Juarez resident Rene Hernandez-Cordero was just sentenced to 300 months (25 years) in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth, 180 months (15 years) for straw purchasing firearms and trafficking firearms, and 60 months (five years) for conspiracy to smuggle bulk cash. The sentences will run concurrently, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice (DOJ) explained Thursday.

DOJ officials say that Hernandez-Cordero and his codefendant, 53-year-old Jesus Gerardo Ramos, were caught in August 2023 trying to smuggle guns from the U.S. into Mexico. Officials say they had been running a gun smuggling operation from August 2022 to August 2023.

Ramos pleaded guilty in April and will be sentenced later this year, along with fellow codefendant 21-year-old Brian Alexis Munoz Castro.

The group's other codefendant, 38-year-old Maria Del Rosario Navarro Sanchez (aka "Chayo," aka "Fernanda"), is currently a fugitive.