Latest news with #RolandMunoz
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
‘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. Wisconsin man hospitalized after crashing into rock embankment 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. Police in Wisconsin find dead woman in a home following a standoff, man arrested 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. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
Guns from Wisconsin, elsewhere smuggled to Mexico; fugitive arrested
The Brief A man accused of smuggling guns from Wisconsin and other states to a Mexican cartel has been arrested. The 44-year-old fugitive had been on the run for years, according to prosecutors. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine. MILWAUKEE - A fugitive accused of smuggling guns from Wisconsin and other states to a Mexican cartel has been arrested after years on the run, prosecutors announced on Wednesday. The backstory Roland Munoz, 44, was charged with five other people in 2021. A 12-count federal indictment was the result of a years-long investigation called "Operation Ripsaw." SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News Local perspective According to court filings, Munoz led a conspiracy to smuggle high-powered weapons into Mexico by recruiting straw purchasers of guns in Wisconsin and other states. He is also accused of organizing couriers to transport those guns and money across the nation, and arranging for smugglers to take the guns across the border in Texas and provide them to a cartel in Mexico. The conspirators purchased and attempted to smuggle over 25 guns, according to federal prosecutors. Court records said many of those guns were later recovered in Mexico, including a .50 caliber rifle which was recovered in December 2020 after Mexican law enforcement authorities engaged a group of armed members of Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, a Mexican transnational criminal organization. What's next If convicted, Munoz faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine. Munoz's arrest was made in coordination with officials in Mexico and is the result of collaboration between the U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations. The Source Information in this report is from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
