An Olathe, Kansas, man was arrested while crossing the border from Mexico back into the United States after being indicted by a federal grand jury for stealing 41 firearms from a gun store in Raytown, Mo.
“We are committed to stanching the flow of illegal firearms on the black market, whether they’re trafficked within the United States or smuggled into Mexico,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore of the Western District of Missouri. “Stolen firearms often supply black market dealers and fuel more crime and violence. It’s critical that we hold to account everyone involved along this chain of criminal activity.”
“The charges demonstrate the power of crime gun intelligence and cooperation with Mexican law enforcement to stem the flow of firearms from the U.S. into Mexico — where they arm the violent cartels that flood our communities with deadly drugs,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “By submitting information about recovered firearms to ATF’s eTrace system, Mexican law enforcement helped us link the alleged theft of firearms in Missouri to their international transport and recovery in Mexico.”
“Mexican organized crime groups use firearms to commit heinous crimes against civilians and rival criminal groups,” stated Bernard G. Hansen, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Kansas City. “There is no safe hiding place for anyone engaged in illegal firearms trafficking to Mexico. Stemming the flow of illegal guns to Mexico is of the highest priority for ATF and we will work relentlessly to investigate firearm thefts in order to prevent and dismantle the flow of illegal firearms.”
Frank Guereca, 22, was charged with one count of stealing firearms from a federal firearms licensee in an indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, April 24. The indictment was unsealed and made public today. Guereca is scheduled for his initial court appearance today at 2:30 p.m. in El Paso, Texas (3:30 p.m. CST) before U.S. Magistrate Judge Miguel Torres of the Western District of Texas.
The federal indictment alleges that Guereca, aiding and abetting others, stole the firearms on June 16, 2023. All of the stolen firearms were pistols of various manufacturers and calibers.
According to court documents, Guereca and at least two others used a stolen U-Haul to conduct the firearms theft. One of the stolen pistols from the gun store was recovered in Tracy, Calif., on Nov. 14, 2023. A second stolen pistol was recovered in Chihuahua, Mexico, on Dec. 19, 2023. A third stolen pistol was recovered in Juarez, Mexico, on Feb. 6, 2024.
Guereca was arrested on Thursday, April 25, as he attempted to cross back into the United States from Mexico. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection records, Guereca had previously crossed the border approximately 20 times since the burglary and theft on June 16, 2023.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley K. Kavanaugh. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Raytown, Mo., Police Department.
