A former Hermosillo Municipal Police officer, Martin Eulalio Molina Lopez, has been sentenced to 63 months in prison after pleading guilty to Alien in Possession of a Firearm.
According to the Department of Justice, in early 2024, Molina Lopez was admitted to the United States under a travel visa. In February 2024, Molina Lopez was arrested and charged after law enforcement observed him recruit United States citizens to serve as straw purchasers for firearms at a gun show in Phoenix, Arizona. Law enforcement agents found Molina Lopez in possession of 18 firearms that were purchased by others for him at the show. A subsequent investigation revealed that Molina Lopez, who was prohibited from purchasing firearms in the United States while on a travel visa, had previously recruited United States citizens to purchase an additional 20 firearms on his behalf.
Molina Lopez retired from the Hermosillo Municipal Police in 2021 after sustaining a gunshot wound.