Three siblings from Laredo, Texas, have confessed to purchasing, transporting, and concealing ammunition with the intention of smuggling it into Mexico, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Rolando Herrera, 26, pleaded guilty this morning, acknowledging charges of conspiracy to smuggle ammunition with intent to promote a felony. His sisters, Ashley Herrera, 22, and Yamileth Herrera, 21, entered their guilty pleas on December 12, 2023. All three, U.S. citizens, maintain residences in Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

Between May 16, 2023, and May 24, 2023, the siblings placed orders for 7,000 rounds of 5.56-millimeter ammunition at a local sporting goods store. Ashley initiated the first order of 3,000 rounds, which she and Rolando picked up. She later placed a second order in another person’s name for 3,000 rounds, delivered to the Herreras’ parents’ home. Yamileth ordered and picked up 1,000 rounds of ammunition.

Rolando confessed to intending to smuggle the ammunition to individuals in Mexico, providing funds for all purchases and instructing his sisters to order the ammunition on his behalf.

Ashley transported cartons of 6,000 rounds to her parents’ home, where she and Yamileth concealed them in a bedroom. The ammunition remained hidden until Rolando planned to pick it up for smuggling to Mexico.

Law enforcement intercepted Yamileth Herrera, who was in possession of 1,000 rounds she had just purchased. Authorities seized a total of 7,000 rounds from the Herrera siblings' smuggling operation.

U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo is set to impose sentencing in April. Each sibling faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. Rolando faces an additional charge, conspiring to smuggle ammunition out of the United States to promote a felony, which could result in up to 15 years of imprisonment.

The siblings have been allowed to remain on bond pending sentencing. The investigation involved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Laredo Police Department.