Former Columbus mayor gets 51 months for smuggling

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) ? The former mayor of the New Mexico border town of Columbus has been sentenced to more than four years in prison for his role in a gun smuggling ring that prosecutors say shipped nearly 200 guns to Mexican drug cartels.

U.S. District Judge Robert Brack in Las Cruces on Thursday sentenced 52-year-old Eddie Espinoza to 51 months in federal prison. Espinoza, former Columbus Police Chief Angelo Vega and former town trustee Blas Gutierrez were among a dozen defendants who have pleaded guilty in the case. Espinoza was the fourth to be sentenced.

Espinoza pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, three counts of making false statements in the acquisition of firearms and three counts of smuggling firearms from the United States. He faced up to 65 years in prison.

Tags: Crime, General news, Government and politics, Las Cruces, Law and order, Legal proceedings, Local governments, Municipal governments, New Mexico, North America, Smuggling, United States

This entry was posted on June 14, 2012, 2:58 pm and is filed under New Mexico. You can follow any responses to this entry through RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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