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United States of America v. Jose Manuel Najera
Date: 03-05-2026
Case Number:
Judge:
Court: United States District Court of the Western District Texas (Vale Verde County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States District Attorney’s Office in Del Rio
Defendant's Attorney:
Click Here For The Best Tulsa Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory
Description:
Del Rio, Texas criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with conspiring to traffic firearms to the Sinaloa Cartel.
Jose Manuel Najera, 54, of Elon, North Carolina, arrived for outbound inspection at the Del Rio Port of Entry on Oct. 31, 2024, driving a gray pickup truck. U.S. Customs and Border Protection recognized that an alert had been placed on the vehicle for suspicious border crossing history. Najera, appearing nervous, provided a negative declaration for weapons, ammunition, and currency over $10,000, and stated he was traveling to Allende, Coahuila, Mexico from North Carolina. At secondary inspection, a CBP officer removed and unrolled a black tarp out of the bed of Najera’s truck, revealing a disassembled rifle along with a box magazine.
Najera subsequently claimed that he was driving to Mexico to help a friend tow a vehicle and did not know the firearm was concealed inside his vehicle. After being told that it was illegal to lie to federal agents, Najera stated that his son, Fernando Najera-Avalos, 26, had purchased the rifle in North Carolina to provide it to subjects in Mexico, specifically a subject named Hector, in Acuna. Najera was released from detainment.
A follow-up investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives revealed that, between June 2024 and October 2024, Najera made five trips between the United States and Mexico through the Del Rio Port of Entry. The trips typically occurred within a week after purchasing firearms. On those five occasions, Najera-Avalos purchased a total of 14 firearms, and his father, Najera, would take the trip to Mexico shortly after. Additionally, a text message between Najera and Najera-Avalos contained a screenshot of a text message wherein an unsaved Mexican phone number asked for 50 guns over a few months beginning in March 2024.
On July 30, 2025, Najera and Najera-Avalos were arrested and charged with conspiracy to traffic firearms. Najera-Avalos stated he had been in contact with the Sinaloa Cartel and was trafficking firearms for them due to debt he had accrued with the cartel. He added that he and his brother, Alonso Najera-Avalos, 22, would purchase the firearms and provide them to their father to transport into Mexico and give to the cartel. This led to the arrest of Alonso Najera-Avalos. In a post-arrest interview, Alonso Najera-Avalos admitted to owning the Sinaloa Cartel $70,000, and to conspiring with his father and brother to purchase and traffic firearms to Mexico.
Najera and the Najera-Avalos brothers all pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms. They each face up to 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The ATF investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Duarte II is prosecuting the case.
Jose Manuel Najera, 54, of Elon, North Carolina, arrived for outbound inspection at the Del Rio Port of Entry on Oct. 31, 2024, driving a gray pickup truck. U.S. Customs and Border Protection recognized that an alert had been placed on the vehicle for suspicious border crossing history. Najera, appearing nervous, provided a negative declaration for weapons, ammunition, and currency over $10,000, and stated he was traveling to Allende, Coahuila, Mexico from North Carolina. At secondary inspection, a CBP officer removed and unrolled a black tarp out of the bed of Najera’s truck, revealing a disassembled rifle along with a box magazine.
Najera subsequently claimed that he was driving to Mexico to help a friend tow a vehicle and did not know the firearm was concealed inside his vehicle. After being told that it was illegal to lie to federal agents, Najera stated that his son, Fernando Najera-Avalos, 26, had purchased the rifle in North Carolina to provide it to subjects in Mexico, specifically a subject named Hector, in Acuna. Najera was released from detainment.
A follow-up investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives revealed that, between June 2024 and October 2024, Najera made five trips between the United States and Mexico through the Del Rio Port of Entry. The trips typically occurred within a week after purchasing firearms. On those five occasions, Najera-Avalos purchased a total of 14 firearms, and his father, Najera, would take the trip to Mexico shortly after. Additionally, a text message between Najera and Najera-Avalos contained a screenshot of a text message wherein an unsaved Mexican phone number asked for 50 guns over a few months beginning in March 2024.
On July 30, 2025, Najera and Najera-Avalos were arrested and charged with conspiracy to traffic firearms. Najera-Avalos stated he had been in contact with the Sinaloa Cartel and was trafficking firearms for them due to debt he had accrued with the cartel. He added that he and his brother, Alonso Najera-Avalos, 22, would purchase the firearms and provide them to their father to transport into Mexico and give to the cartel. This led to the arrest of Alonso Najera-Avalos. In a post-arrest interview, Alonso Najera-Avalos admitted to owning the Sinaloa Cartel $70,000, and to conspiring with his father and brother to purchase and traffic firearms to Mexico.
Najera and the Najera-Avalos brothers all pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms. They each face up to 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The ATF investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Duarte II is prosecuting the case.
Outcome:
The Defendant elected to plead guilty.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments:
About This Case
What was the outcome of United States of America v. Jose Manuel Najera?
The outcome was: The Defendant elected to plead guilty.
Which court heard United States of America v. Jose Manuel Najera?
This case was heard in United States District Court of the Western District Texas (Vale Verde County), TX.
Who were the attorneys in United States of America v. Jose Manuel Najera?
Plaintiff's attorney: United States District Attorney’s Office in Del Rio. Defendant's attorney: Click Here For The Best Tulsa Criminal Defense Lawyer Directory.
When was United States of America v. Jose Manuel Najera decided?
This case was decided on March 5, 2026.