The owner of a popular gun store and a pawn shop in South Texas faces federal charges for allegedly selling thousands of ammunition rounds to Mexican nationals illegally in the U.S. While court documents do not specify it, it is common knowledge in the area that the bulk of illegal ammunition sold in the region is smuggled into Reynosa or Matamoros, Tamaulipas, to supply the Gulf Cartel.
The arrest took place this week when federal prosecutors secured a sealed criminal indictment against 67-year-old Daniel Gallegos, the owner of Point Blank Shooting Range and Danny’s Pawn Shop. The pawnshop also sells guns, court records revealed. Gallegos surrendered to authorities and went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis where he pleaded not guilty to the five separate charges. The judge granted Gallegos his release on a $50,000 unsecured bond and, as part of the conditions of his release, ordered him to stay away from both gun businesses.
While the indictment does not reveal who purchased the ammunition, it does allege that the buyers were in the country illegally and thus unable to legally purchase or possess ammunition.
The court documents revealed that Gallegos sold the ammunition on at least five separate occasions between March and May 2020 to individuals he suspected of being illegal aliens. The ammunition included 2,900 rounds of 7.62×39 ammunition which is commonly used in AK-47 type rifles. Gallegos also reportedly sold 1,000 rounds of .223Rem ammunition, which is used in AR-15 type rifles. Federal authorities also claim Gallegos sold 360 rounds of .50cal ammunition, which is used in large Barret-type rifles. Furthermore, Gallegos is accused of selling 1,460 rounds of .308cal ammunition, which is a popular hunting round but is also used on some semi-automatic rifles.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You ca2n follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.
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