Houston arms dealer convicted of trafficking ‘weapons of war’ notorious for use by drug cartels

HOUSTON – A well-known Houston arms dealer has confessed to selling weapons notorious for being the weapons of choice for Mexican drug cartels.

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According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas, Nicah Anderson, 44, of Cypress, owned and operated NE Guns on the Northwest Freeway. The case has since been closed, but prosecutors say someone bought at least 41 guns from Anderson’s store between December 2022 and March 2023.

The buyer did not personally purchase the guns, but used “straw buyers” to obtain the weapons before removing them from NE Guns and reselling them. Investigators say Anderson knew about this arrangement in advance.

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The firearms sold were described by prosecutors as “known weapons favored by Mexican drug cartels.” U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani went even further in his statement, saying, “Weapons of war, including a .50 caliber rifle, walked out of Nicah Anderson’s gun store into the arms of front men, and he knew it.”

After executing a search warrant in July 2023, law enforcement seized 266 firearms. The arsenal also included military-grade sniper rifles, FN SCAR 17S, .308 Caliber rifles, and 9-millimeter pistols. 138,940 rounds of ammunition, 7 silencers, and NE Guns’ business records were also seized.

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Upon further review of the books, investigators discovered that NE Guns received $115,000 from alleged front men between October 2022 and August 2023.

“Investigations like this stop illegal gun trafficking at its source,” Hamdani said. “With gun violence in major cities like Houston, there is absolutely no place or tolerance for gun dealers like Anderson who seek to profit from illegal straw purchases.”

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“This investigation is a clear example of the importance of investigating illegal gun trafficking,” added Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Gun trafficking is a direct contributor to the gun violence we fight against every day. This defendant chose profit over helping to keep the general public safe and will be held accountable for those repeated decisions.”