PORTLAND: Two men accused of buying firearms in Oregon to smuggle to Mexico were indicted by a federal grand jury.
Erik Flores Eloretgui of Beaverton and Eugene resident Robert Allen Cummins face 26 federal charges following a year-long investigation.
After a large shipment of firearms was found in Sonora, Mexico, investigators looked into the shipment and believed it to be a conspiracy to smuggle guns.
The indictment states:
— Conspiracy members deposited tens of thousands of dollars near the US-Mexico border to bank accounts connected to Eloretgui, who then, along with Cummins, bought $70,000 of high-caliber firearms, including .50 caliber and AK-47 type rifles.
— Those guns were later recovered in Mexico soon after being bought in Oregon
— Eloretgui bought a tool commonly used to grind off the serial numbers of firearms on the same day he bought $38,100 in firearms.
— Days after that, he drove from Oregon to Mexicali, Mexico.
Eloretgui, 33, and Cummins, 56, face one count each of conspiracy to smuggle firearms and making false statements, and unlawful dealing in firearms.
The remaining 24 charges are split between making false statements about the acquisition of firearms and illegally smuggling goods from the US.
Each count carries between 5 and 10 years of prison time.
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