A 25-year-old illegal immigrant has been sentenced to over three years in federal prison for trafficking firearms to Mexico’s violent Jalisco New Generation Cartel, U.S. prosecutors in Texas announced Wednesday.
Jorge Alberto Morales-Calvo pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges involving the illegal purchase and transfer of high-powered firearms, including a Barrett .50-caliber rifle and an FN Herstal Belgium 5.7x28mm pistol, which were intended for cartel use.
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According to authorities, Morales-Calvo and his accomplice worked with a cartel broker to arrange a $16,000 gun deal. On the day of the sale, Morales-Calvo waited in a vehicle while co-defendant Homero Arteaga, 45, inspected the weapons. That’s when federal agents moved in to make arrests. Morales-Calvo attempted to flee but was apprehended in the parking lot.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei emphasized the Department of Justice’s commitment to targeting not only cartel members but also those who support their operations.
“Those that arm or otherwise empower the cartels are going to meet the full force of the federal criminal justice system,” Ganjei said.
Morales-Calvo pleaded guilty on January 8 and was sentenced this week to three years and five months in prison. Upon completing his sentence, he will be transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation proceedings.
His co-defendant Arteaga pleaded guilty last November and was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison.
ATF Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel highlighted the broader impact of gun trafficking:
“Trafficking firearms on behalf of violent cartels is not just illegal—it fuels a deadly cycle of violence on both sides of the border. This case shows how seriously we take these crimes and how we’re using every tool to disrupt these networks.”
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is considered one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in the Western Hemisphere, known for extreme violence and widespread drug trafficking operations.
