Houston man pleads guilty to illegal gun purchases through Mexican cartels

A Houston-area man has pleaded guilty to illegal weapons purchases, including military-grade sniper rifles.

Nicah Anderson, 44, of Cypress, Texas, has pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting trafficking in firearms without a license, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Alamdar S. Hamdani announced Friday.

According to a press release, Anderson was a federal firearms licensee and former majority owner and operator of NE Guns.

Authorities said that between December 2022 and March 2023, an individual arranged the purchase of at least 41 firearms from NE Guns, but never personally purchased the weapons. Instead, straw buyers obtained them.

The individual then took the guns from NE Guns and quickly resold them, the release said. Anderson was aware of the resale before arranging the purchases, according to the release.

Officials said some of the firearms included Barrett .50 caliber military sniper rifles; FN SCAR 17S .308 caliber rifles; and 9 millimeter handguns. Authorities said the weapons are favored by Mexican drug cartels.

Authorities executed a search warrant at NE Guns on July 19, 2023. Items seized included 266 firearms, 138,940 rounds of ammunition, seven silencers, and NE Guns’ business records. The investigation revealed that NE Guns received $115,000 from suspected straw purchases between October 2022 and August 2023. A straw purchase involves someone buying a gun for someone who is unwilling or unable to buy one.

“Weapons of war, including a .50 caliber rifle, walked out of Nicah Anderson’s gun store and into the arms of straw buyers, and he knew it,” Hamdani said in the release. “Investigations like this one stop illegal gun trafficking at its source. With gun violence in major cities like Houston, there is absolutely no place or tolerance for gun dealers like Anderson looking to profit from illegal straw purchases.”

U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison accepted the request and set sentencing for Oct. 24. Anderson is expected to serve a two-year prison sentence. He was allowed to remain on bail pending sentencing.

“This investigation is a clear example of the importance of investigating illegal gun trafficking,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “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.”

The ATF investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Suh and John Ganz.