A 45-year-old Odessa woman was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison Wednesday for purchasing several guns for her boyfriend, a Mexican national, who was legally prohibited from purchasing the guns himself because of his immigration status.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Delma Vitela purchased at least six guns from December 2020 through March 2022 from various stores in Midland and Odessa, signing forms falsely stating she was the intended buyer.
Vitela’s boyfriend was stopped by law enforcement officers in Laredo as he was attempting to cross into Mexico and he had two of the guns Vitela had purchased on his behalf, the news release stated.
Vitela pleaded guilty to providing false statements during the purchase of firearms in December and was sentenced Wednesday.
“Straw purchasing is not an act of love; it is an act that fuels violence across our country and our neighbors,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey C. Boshek II for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Dallas Field Division. “ATF and our partners in the Permian Basin are steadfast in our fight to keep firearms out of the hands of those that shouldn’t have them. Ms. Vitela thought she was being a good girlfriend when she was actually helping to arm vicious Mexican drug cartels. I hope that others don’t make this same mistake.”
According to U.S. District Court records, Vitela purchased a 9 mm Beretta, a Henry repeating rifle, two .22 caliber revolvers, a .40 caliber pistol and a 9 mm pistol.
Last week, a federal jury in Pecos convicted an Oklahoma man in an unrelated case of illegally smuggling a firearm, body armor and ammunition into Mexico.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jesus Soto-Parra, 31, drove into Mexico in December 2022 and was turned back by Mexican authorities because of vehicle registration issues. The items were found in his vehicle by Customs and Border Protection officers at the Presidio Port of Entry.
