Federal authorities have indicted two Cleveland men, Yarquimedes Rodriguez Hilario and Adison Lopez-Ramirez, for attempting to sell 90 AR-15-style rifles and one machine gun to undercover agents posing as cartel members. The indictment forms part of ongoing efforts by the federal government’s Panama Express Strike Force to dismantle international criminal organizations engaged in arms trafficking.
Amid increasing violence fueled by drug cartels in Mexico, this case underscores the serious issue of U.S. firearms flowing into the country. Prosecutors emphasized that the guns being trafficked are “the lifeblood of the cartels,” and past data indicates that between 2018 and 2022 alone, 78,000 guns recovered in Mexico were traced back to U.S. sources.
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