A federal jury in Del Rio, Texas, convicted a Dale man on two counts of firearms trafficking after he straw-purchased 24 AK-47-style rifles that were later trafficked to Mexico for use by a cartel, federal prosecutors announced.
Bobby Brandon Galvan, 30, who went by the alias “Puravidarecia,” was affiliated with the La Nueva Familia Michoacana cartel, according to court documents and evidence presented at trial. Between September 2023 and April 2024, Galvan purchased 24 AK-47-style firearms that were subsequently trafficked to Toluca, Mexico, for use by cartel members, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found during its investigation.
Among the weapons was an AK-47-style rifle later recovered at the scene of a shootout between cartel members and Mexican law enforcement, prosecutors said. In carrying out his role in the trafficking network, Galvan purchased the firearms, attempted to obliterate their serial numbers, and transferred them to co-conspirators who moved the weapons to Mexico, according to court documents.
The leaders of the criminal conspiracy were identified at trial as Johnny Hurtado Olascoaga, known as “El Pez,” and Jose Alfredo Hurtado Olascoaga, known as “El Fresa.” The U.S. Department of State designated LNFM as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity on Feb. 20, 2025.
Galvan was arrested July 29, 2025, and indicted Aug. 20 on one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms and one count of straw purchase of firearms. He is one of 26 defendants charged in a broader criminal operation involving firearms trafficking, illegal alien smuggling and money laundering, prosecutors said. Eighteen of his co-defendants have already pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
He faces up to 40 years in federal prison on each of the two counts. Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses presides over the case.
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons called the verdict significant, noting it is among the first in the country to involve a conspiracy charge under a relatively new federal firearms trafficking statute.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Warsame Galaydh and Brett Miner are prosecuting the case. The investigation was led by ATF as part of a Homeland Security Task Force that included federal law enforcement partners.
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