According to federal court documents, a man who acknowledged to acquiring firearms that he knew were destined for a Mexican drug cartel was arrested in Texas when it was discovered that one of the guns was tied to the kidnapping and murder of four Americans.
Roberto Lugardo Moreno made his initial court appearance in Brownsville on Monday and was appointed a public defender, who did not immediately respond to a voicemail requesting comment. Thursday is slated for his detention hearing.
Gun Used In Kidnapping Americans In Mexico Came From Texas
The kidnapping took place in Matamoros, Mexico, right across the border from Brownsville. Moreno has been charged with conspiracy to illegally export a firearm, according to a federal complaint filed on Saturday.
According to the complaint, he admitted to purchasing firearms for individuals whom he knew would supply them to a member of the Gulf Cartel in Mexico.
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Serial Numbers Matched To Firearm Recovered
According to the lawsuit, the serial number of a pistol he purchased in October 2019 matched that of a firearm recovered by investigators and linked to the kidnappings on March 3.
Moreno said that he did not seek a license to export the pistol from the U.S. to Mexico and was aware that it would be exported illegally, according to the complaint.
Moreno told authorities he paid $100 for the firearms. At Matamoros, four friends who had traveled to Mexico so that one of them could get plastic surgery got caught up in a gunfight between members of a drug gang.
As a vehicle collided with their van, guys armed with assault rifles and tactical jackets appeared in another vehicle and surrounded them.
Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were placed in a vehicle alongside the only two survivors, Eric Williams and Latavia McGee. A few days later, the dead and two surviving friends were discovered in a shack.
