Three people who tried to buy automatic AK-47 rifles to smuggle into Mexico pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Denver to one count of possessing a machine gun on Wednesday.
Maria Garcia, Belia Monsivaiz, and Joel Ernesto Monsivaiz Pina, who are scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 4, could get up to 10 years in federal prison for the charge.
An agent of the Homeland Security Investigations set up a sting after being contacted by someone in Mexico who wanted to buy rifles and handguns, according to documents.
Money for the sales was provided by the Zetas drug cartel. “On October 1, 2012 the (agent) was advised that multiple individuals from (Texas) were being sent to …. purchase twelve automatic AK-47 rifles at a total cost of $12,000,” according to a document.
Garcia and Belia Monsivaiz and Monsivaiz Pina, along with Raymundo Gonzalez Vasquez met two agents at a Home Depot parking lot, according to a court document.
The agents took them to a storage unit where an undercover vehicle containing a crate of guns was parked.
“The (agent) stated that the rifles were the right ones as they were “full automatics,” according to the document.
According to their plea agreements, all four admitted to knowingly participating in the plan to purchase and transport the weapons from Colorado to Texas where they would be transferred to another individual. They didn’t know that the rifles would be taken out of the United States, the documents said.
Gonzalez Vasquez also agreed to plead guilty, but later withdrew the plea.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or
