Federal prosecutors say Laurence Gray, 65, a licensed dealer from Hereford, Arizona, was indicted for allegedly supplying weapons in 2025 to the CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel, both designated foreign terrorist organizations. He faces charges including attempting to provide material support and conspiring to support a designated FTO. Court documents cite an alleged Feb. 22, 2025, Colt 1911 purchase and additional transactions in subsequent months. The case is part of Operation Take Back America.
Arizona Gun Dealer Indicted For Allegedly Supplying Weapons To CJNG And Sinaloa Cartels, DOJ Says
Arizona gun dealer armed two Mexican drug cartels, DOJ says
A federal grand jury has indicted an Arizona firearms dealer who prosecutors say supplied weapons to at least two Mexican drug cartels, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
Indictment Details
Federal prosecutors identified the defendant as Laurence Gray, 65, of Hereford, Arizona. The indictment alleges that in 2025 Gray knowingly provided firearms to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel — both groups designated by the U.S. State Department as foreign terrorist organizations.
Gray faces charges that include attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and conspiring to provide support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to court documents.
The Mexican Army destroyed 610 long guns and 92 handguns and 5,013 magazines and 316,036 rounds of ammunition during an official ceremony at the 9th Military Zone in Sinaloa, Mexico, on March 9.(Getty Images)
Alleged Transactions
Court filings say Gray, who operates Grips by Larry and is a federally licensed firearms dealer, allegedly aided a purchase of a Colt 1911 semi-automatic pistol on Feb. 22, 2025. Prosecutors contend additional firearms transactions took place in the months that followed.
Gray was initially indicted last year alongside Barrett Weinberger, 73, of Tucson; earlier charges in the case included firearms trafficking, aiding and abetting straw purchases, and making materially false statements during firearm purchases. The latest indictment adds the material-support-to-terrorism allegations against Gray.
“Mexican drug cartels extensively use straw purchasers within the United States to legally acquire firearms and illegally smuggle them across the border,” the Justice Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said in a joint statement.
The prosecution is tied to Operation Take Back America, an initiative begun under the Trump administration to coordinate Department of Homeland Security and other federal resources to combat cartel activity, curb illegal immigration, and reduce violent crime associated with transnational criminal organizations.
Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to Gray’s attorney for comment. The case remains active and the allegations in the indictment have not been proven in court.
Help us improve.
