TULSA, Okla. – Andres Avila, a 48-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, and his son, Anthony Avila, a 22-year-old Houston resident, have been charged with illegally trafficking firearms after they were caught allegedly trafficking 75 firearms and ammunition that they purchased at area gun shows. Andres is also charged with being an alien unlawfully in the U.S. in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The investigation that uncovered the scheme was conducted by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Dallas, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

“Oftentimes, illegally trafficked firearms end up in the hands of the drug cartels, terrorists, foreign adversaries, or other bad actors,” said HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard. “By working alongside our partners to uncover this scheme and seize these firearms, we’ve prevented a large cache of deadly weapons from potentially being used to sew chaos or fueling other illicit criminal activity or acts of violence.”

The investigation began after special agents witnessed two individuals, later identified as Andres Avila and Anthony Avila (“Andres” and “Anthony”), allegedly engaging in activities consistent with straw purchasing and firearms trafficking. Andres and Anthony were seen wearing backpacks and working together to purchase firearms. When their backpacks were full, it’s alleged that they emptied their bags into large totes kept beneath a specific vendor’s table. Court documents show that they paid cash to purchase firearms from private sellers in an attempt to avoid law enforcement detection.

After making several purchases and spending more than six hours at the gun show, agents observed Andres and Anthony leaving in a vehicle with a Texas license plate. When law enforcement conducted a traffic stop, they found large quantities of bulk ammunition marked in the vehicle, consistent with ammo purchased at the gun show. A subsequent records check revealed that Andres is in the United States illegally and prohibited from receiving or possessing firearms.

Agents interviewed the vendors sitting at the booth where the guns were stored in totes. They explained that Andres is not legally inside the United States and discovered that there were more than 75 firearms in the totes. Apparently, the vendors met Andres and Anthony through a Texas pawn shop and explained they would pay cash to purchase firearm magazines.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Dowdell is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.