Kansas man arrested, accused of stealing 41 guns

KWCH arrests, handcuffs, police lights(KWCH)
By Angela Smith
Published: Apr. 29, 2024 at 11:39 AM CDT|Updated: 1 hour ago

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - An Olathe man was arrested last week while crossing the border from Mexico back into the United States. A federal grand jury indicted 22-year-old Frank Guereca, accusing him of stealing 41 firearms from a gun store in Raytown, Missouri.

Guereca made his initial court appearance on Friday in El Paso, Texas, in the Western District of Texas. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection records, Guereca had crossed the border approximately 20 times since the alleged burglary and theft on June 16, 2023.

“Today’s charges demonstrate the power of crime gun intelligence and cooperation with Mexican law enforcement to stem the flow of firearms from the United States into Mexico — where they arm the violent cartels that flood our communities with deadly drugs,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “By submitting information about recovered firearms to ATF’s eTrace system, Mexican law enforcement helped us link the alleged theft of firearms in Missouri to their international transport and recovery in Mexico.”

The federal indictment alleges that Guereca was aiding and abetting others when the firearms of various manufacturers and calibers were stolen on June 16, 2023.

According to court documents, Guereca and at least two other people used a stolen U-Haul to steal the guns. One of the stolen pistols was recovered in Tracy, California, on Nov. 14, 2023. A second was recovered in Chihuahua, Mexico, on Dec. 19, 2023, and a third stolen pistol was recovered in Juarez, Mexico, on Feb. 6.

https://www.kwch.com/2024/04/29/kansas-man-arrested-accused-stealing-41-guns/