06-03-2025
‘Operation Ripsaw' leads to arrest of man accused of trafficking firearms from Wisconsin to Mexican cartel
WISCONSIN (WFRV) – A 44-year-old man accused of trafficking high-powered firearms from Wisconsin to a Mexican cartel was arrested in Mexico as part of Operation Ripsaw.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Roland Munoz was taken into custody in coordination with authorities in Mexico.
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Munoz was indicted on Sept. 21, 2021, along with five other defendants, on a 12-count indictment that included charges of smuggling goods from the United States and the straw purchase of firearms.
The indictment was the result of a yearslong investigation called Operation Ripsaw, led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations.
Prosecutors allege that Munoz led a conspiracy to smuggle high-powered firearms from the United States to Mexico. According to court filings, he recruited straw purchasers in Wisconsin and other states, coordinated couriers to transport firearms and money across the country, and arranged for smugglers to bring the firearms across the border in Texas to supply a Mexican cartel.
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Investigators say the group purchased and attempted to smuggle more than 25 firearms. Court records show that many of those weapons were later recovered in Mexico, including a .50-caliber rifle found on Dec. 20, 2020, after Mexican law enforcement engaged armed members of the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, a transnational criminal organization.
Munoz faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million if convicted.
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