Police arrested a Phoenix couple after they reportedly admitted they purchased a $10,000 sniper rifle for the Sinaloa drug cartel.
Phoenix Police arrested a husband and wife after they admitted to police that they lied on federal document to obtain a firearm that they purchased for the Sinaloa Mexican Drug Cartel, according to KSAZ-TV.
On March 20, 31-year-old Jonathan Ibarra-Alarcon had his wife, 22-year-old Erica Ibarra-Alarcon, purchase a Barrett 82A1 .50 caliber rifle from licensed dealer in Phoenix for $10,316.
The .50 caliber rifle is a favorite of the U.S. and other military forces around the world because it is semi-automatic, which allows for a controlled rate of fire.
After purchasing the firearm, Erica placed it in the back of her vehicle that Jonathan was driving. Police said that they pulled the car over for a traffic violation and asked the couple if there were any firearms in the vehicle.
The couple notified the officers of the rifle and officers immediately moved to secure it.
Upon arrest, Jonathan reportedly told police that he was approached the week before and was given $13,000 to purchase the rifle for the Sinaloa Cartel. Jonathan also said that he was told that he could keep the remainder of the money as a finder’s fee.
Police said that Erica stated during purchase that the firearm was for her and provided a fraudulent address during the transaction.
The Alarcons were formally charged with forgery and weapons misconduct charges.
Ryan Saavedra is a contributor for Breitbart Texas and can be found on Twitter at @RealSaavedra.
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