Cooperation credited in arrest of alleged arms trafficker in Sonora

Published: Monday, May 29, 2023 - 10:04am
Updated: Monday, May 29, 2023 - 1:28pm
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Federal prosecutors in Arizona are crediting international cooperation for the arrest this month of an alleged major gun-trafficker in Sonora by Mexican authorities.

Court records in a related U.S. case accuse five people of taking part in a firearm-smuggling mission that originated in Phoenix last year.

The U.S. Attorney for Arizona Gary Restaino told KJZZ News last year that he wanted to build on a foundation of working with Mexican prosecutors to take down crime bosses.

“Talking about the similarities in cases and working on the parallel ends of the organization really is a key thing,” said Restaino.

In a U.S case unsealed in December, the indictment for smuggling conspiracy names four of the five accused.

One has the same last name as Michel Bacasegua-Barriga, the alleged leader of a gun trafficking ring arrested in Mexico.

It is unclear if he is the anonymous defendant here.

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