The pistol used in the murder of two Americans in Mexico has been traced to a Texan who is accused of buying the firearm in the US with the intention of selling it to a Mexican drug cartel.
In early March, four Americans from South Carolina were kidnapped in Matamoros, across the river from Brownsville. Two turned up dead, shot by reputed members of a drug cartel. The other two survived and were returned to the US.
Now, a Harlingen man named Roberto Moreno is accused of being the source of the murder weapon.
Federal investigators accuse Moreno of being a straw purchaser, legally acquiring a Diamondback AR-15 semi-automatic pistol and other firearms with the intention of supplying them to the Gulf Cartel in Mexico.
Homeland Security investigators in Harlingen learned that the same pistol had been recovered by Mexican investigators who linked it to the murders of the Americans. Moreno has a court date scheduled for Thursday.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"
Sign Up to receive our KRLD Insider Newsletter for more news