Arizona gun dealer armed two Mexican drug cartels, DOJ says
An Arizona gun dealer was indicted last week by a federal grand jury amid allegations he provided weapons to at least two Mexican drug cartels, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
Laurence Gray, 65, of Hereford, Arizona, knowingly provided guns to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel in 2025, federal prosecutors said.
Both cartels have been designated by the State Department as foreign terrorist organizations.
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He was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and conspiracy to provide support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Gray, owner of Grips by Larry, a federally licensed dealer, was initially indicted last year alongside Barrett Weinberger, 73, of Tucson. Prosecutors said the pair were involved in illegal gun transactions.
On Feb. 22, 2025, Gray allegedly aided someone in the purchase of a Colt 1911 semi-automatic pistol. Other transactions happened in the ensuing months, court documents state.
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The charges against them at the time included trafficking in firearms, aiding and abetting the straw purchasing of firearms and aiding and abetting material false statements during the purchase of a firearm. Last week's indictment added material support to terrorism charges against Gray.
"Mexican drug cartels extensively use straw purchasers within the United States to legally acquire firearms and illegally smuggle them across the border," according to the Justice Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Trump administration initiative that streamlines efforts and resources within the Department of Homeland Security to crack down on illegal immigration and to "achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime."
Fox News Digital has reached out to Gray's attorney.