By Ben Dooley, April 30, 2026
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
It is the first such case filed since the Trump administration designated several of the criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations in 2025.
Federal prosecutors have charged an Arizona gun dealer with attempting to provide material support to terrorists, signaling a new approach to slowing the deluge of weapons flowing across the border into Mexico.
The indictment, filed in March, revolves around the sale of several high caliber firearms to an undercover agent who posed as a gun runner for a Mexican drug cartel. The case is the first of its kind brought against a firearms dealer in the state and likely the first such action in the United States, according to an analysis of federal court records by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.
The Trump administration designated six Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations in February 2025, opening the door for law enforcement agencies to take a variety of actions against the groups and those who do business with them.
