JACKSON, Miss. ( WJTV ) – Five people pled guilty in the past month to felony offenses related to drug trafficking, firearms trafficking and immigration offenses in Mississippi.

According to court documents, Rosendo Gonzalez Mora, 40; Jaime Bladimir Dela Cruz, 28; Oscar Gonzalez, 39; Juan Deferia Mondragon, 32; and Gabriel Guerrero Gallegos, 36; were indicted by a federal grand jury for various felony offenses as a result of a joint operation between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General.

Dela Cruz, an American citizen residing in Richland, pled guilty on Tuesday, July 30 to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.

Mora, a citizen of Mexico, pled guilty on June 17, 2024, to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.

Prosecutors said Mora and Dela Cruz’s charges stemmed from their attempts to barter an exchange of cocaine for fully automatic firearms, machinegun conversion devices, and explosives. It was the intent of Mora and Dela Cruz to source firearms and explosives from Jackson, Mississippi, and deliver them to organized crime syndicates in Mexico.

Gonzalez, an American citizen residing in Jackson, pled guilty on June 17, 2024, to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. His charges stem from his attempt to barter an exchange of cocaine for three machinegun conversion devices. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison with a maximum of life in prison.

Mondragon and Gallegos, both citizens of Mexico, also pled guilty on June 17, 2024, to illegal re-entry of a previously removed alien for their unlawful return into the United States after being previously deported. Prosecutors said Mondragon had been previously removed from the United States on three separate occasions. They each face a maximum sentence of two years in prison followed by possible deportation.

In addition to criminal prosecution, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi has seized numerous firearms, machinegun conversion devices, and more than $200,000 of suspected drug trafficking proceeds as a result of this investigation.

Mora, Gonzalez, Mondragon, and Gallegos are scheduled to be sentenced on September 17, 2024. Dela Cruz is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29, 2024.

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