Two Mexican men plead guilty to federal drug, firearms and smuggling charges.
Two Mexican men have pleaded guilty in a federal case involving methamphetamine, illegal firearms shipments and the smuggling of people into the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). One of the men also admitted to helping provide firearms to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), which the federal government has designated as a foreign terrorist organization. Late last month, Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez, 40, and Gustavo Castro-Medina, 29, both entered guilty pleas. The case began with an investigation into a group accused of moving drugs and people across borders while also arranging for firearms to be sent from the U.S. to Mexico.
According to court records, Navarro-Sanchez admitted that she worked with others to obtain firearms for CJNG members. Prosecutors said she knew the group was involved in violent acts, including hostage taking and killings, as well as the use of guns and explosives. Navarro-Sanchez also admitted to working with people involved in smuggling individuals from Mexico into the United States. At least one person brought into the country through that operation later helped manage stash houses in El Paso, Texas, where firearms and drugs were kept, according to court documents.
The firearm deal described in the case took place back in August 2023. Navarro-Sanchez negotiated to purchase 20 AK-47-style firearms and two .50-caliber rifles from undercover federal agents. The weapons were supposed to be moved from the United States into Mexico. Prosecutors said the guns were intended for use by people involved in drug trafficking operations. Castro-Medina admitted that he helped arrange part of the payment for the firearms. He transferred $3,000 through a wire payment to an undercover agent as a down payment toward a $66,000 purchase. On August 21, 2023, two other people involved in the operation went to a meeting point in El Paso with the remaining $63,000 in cash.
The two people arrived expecting to receive the firearms after making the payment. Instead, federal agents arrested them after the exchange. Castro-Medina also admitted to a separate incident involving methamphetamine. In November 2020, U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped him while he was driving a Nissan Sentra near Sierra Blanca, Texas. During a second inspection of the vehicle, agents found several bundles hidden beneath a non-factory trap door. The bundles were wrapped in tape and covered with transmission fluid. Testing showed that the bundles contained crystal methamphetamine. The total amount weighed 36.36 kilograms.
The two men and other alleged members of the group were indicted in April 2025. Mexico later transferred Navarro-Sanchez and Castro-Medina to the United States under the country’s national security laws so they could face the federal charges. Navarro-Sanchez pleaded guilty to four charges. They include possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to traffic firearms, conspiracy to bring people into the United States illegally and conspiracy to provide support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Castro-Medina pleaded guilty to two charges involving methamphetamine and firearms trafficking. Both men are now facing a mandatory minimum sentence of a decade in federal prison and could each receive a sentence of up to life in prison.
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2 Mexican nationals plead guilty to human smuggling, supporting designated terrorist organization
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