A U.S. citizen living in Tijuana has been indicted on charges of trading drugs for weapons, including machine guns and grenade launchers, which he intended to provide to Mexican gangs, federal authorities said this week. A federal grand jury in Los Angeles charged Pedro Roberto Hernandez-Gomez with possession of machine guns, attempting to transport explosives, being a felon in possession of firearms, distribution of heroin and distribution of fentanyl. Hernandez-Gomez, 31, agreed to provide the narcotics in exchange for weapons, including grenades and handguns, according to the federal affidavit. He returned to L.A. on Jan. 7 to trade a kilogram each of heroin and fentanyl for firearms and grenades, according to the affidavit. The plan involved his taking possession of three Bushmaster 5.56-millimeter machine guns, three 40-mm grenade launchers and 72 inert grenades, which he thought were live explosives, according to a news release from the ATF.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 23, 2020 18:22 UTC