Two sentenced in Colima firearms case
Original reporting: Colima Noticias
What happened
Colima Noticias reports that José Bernabé Brizuela Meraz, known as “La Vaca,” and Christian Jonathan Cuevas Sánchez received 12-year prison sentences after prosecutors secured convictions tied to seven rifles and 3,439 cartridges seized in Villa de Álvarez.
Reporting and context
Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office obtained 12-year prison sentences against José Bernabé Brizuela Meraz, known as “La Vaca,” and Christian Jonathan Cuevas Sánchez, known as “El Camaney,” “El Tiburón” or “El Chino,” in a case involving firearms and ammunition, according to Colima Noticias.
The outlet reported that the men were convicted of possessing firearms and cartridges reserved for the country’s armed forces. The FGR said the case involved seven rifles and 3,439 cartridges of different calibers, which authorities seized during a September 2014 search of a property in Villa de Álvarez, Colima. The sentence also includes a fine, a formal reprimand and suspension of political and civil rights, with no substitution of the prison term or conditional sentence.
According to Colima Noticias, investigators determined that the property was rented by José “N” and that Christian “N” had full access to it. Federal prosecutors in Colima brought the case after an arrest warrant was issued in November 2020. The proceedings moved through several judicial instances as the defense filed appeals, and the court concluded that the evidence presented by prosecutors and the defense supported the convictions.