Arizona Gun Dealer Indicted for Supplying Weapons to Sinaloa and CJNG Cartels
The Justice Department says a federal grand jury last week returned a superseding indictment charging Arizona firearms dealer Laurence Gray, 65, with attempting to provide material support and conspiring to provide support to two Mexican cartels that the U.S. has designated foreign terrorist organizations: Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel. Gray, a federally licensed dealer who owns Grips by Larry in Hereford, Arizona, was first indicted in 2025 alongside Tucson resident Barrett Weinberger, 73, on firearms‑trafficking, straw‑purchasing and false‑statement charges tied to multiple 2025 gun sales, including a Feb. 22, 2025 Colt 1911 purchase. The new indictment upgrades the case by explicitly tying his alleged conduct to terrorism‑support statutes, reflecting the Trump administration’s move to treat major cartels as terrorist organizations under its "Operation Take Back America" enforcement initiative. DOJ and ATF say Mexican cartels routinely rely on U.S. straw purchasers to buy guns legally and then smuggle them south, a pipeline U.S. officials and critics link to escalating cartel violence and fentanyl flows that directly hit American communities. Gray’s attorney has been contacted for comment, and the case will be watched as a test of how far prosecutors can stretch material‑support laws beyond traditional jihadist groups to target U.S. gun suppliers to cartels.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- Laurence Gray, 65, of Hereford, Arizona, a federally licensed dealer who owns Grips by Larry, was newly charged with attempting and conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
- DOJ says Gray knowingly supplied firearms in 2025 to Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion and the Sinaloa Cartel, both designated foreign terrorist organizations by the State Department.
- Gray was originally indicted in 2025 with Tucson resident Barrett Weinberger, 73, on firearms‑trafficking, straw‑purchase and false‑statement charges; last week’s superseding indictment adds the terrorism‑support counts and is part of the Trump‑era DHS initiative 'Operation Take Back America.'
đź“Š Relevant Data
Nearly 80% of weapons seized by Mexico's current administration come from the United States.
Nearly 80% of weapons seized by Mexico's current administration come from the US — El PaĂs
The Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel were designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations by the Trump administration in February 2025.
Cartels — DEA.gov
US drug demand sustains the operations of Mexican cartels, contributing to their strength and violence.
What you need to know about Mexico's drug cartels amid escalating violence — WLRN
In 2023 and 2024, the age-adjusted drug overdose death rate was highest for American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic people at 65.0 and 51.6 per 100,000, respectively, compared to the national average.
Drug Overdose Deaths in the United States, 2023–2024 — CDC
From 2019 to 2023, drug overdose mortality increased most rapidly among Black Americans at 249.3%, Native Americans at 166.3%, and Hispanic/Latino Americans at 171.8%.
Widening Racial Disparities in the U.S. Overdose Epidemic — ScienceDirect
US border controls are primarily designed to stop inbound threats like drugs, rather than monitor outbound traffic, facilitating gun smuggling to Mexico.
Inside the Supply Line Delivering American Guns to Mexican Cartels — The New York Times
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