Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
McALLEN, Texas – A 45-year-old San Juan resident has been ordered to federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Michael Gallegos-Martinez pleaded guilty Dec. 3, 2024.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now ordered him to serve 41 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence Gallegos-Martinez had been previously served as a police officer before being convicted of a felony for possession of a controlled substance. In handing down the sentence, Judge Crane noted the significant amount of cash found in the vehicle as well as the narcotics.
On June 25, 2023, Gallegos-Martinez was driving a Cadillac CTS when he failed to come to a complete stop. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop, at which time they noticed Gallegos-Martinez appeared nervous.
He claimed there were no firearms or narcotics within the vehicle. However, a K-9 alerted, and authorities ultimately discovered of a firearm Rossi, Model 461, .357 caliber magnum revolver in a grocery bag hanging from the gear shift. They also discovered 25 grams of cocaine, a bottle of Xanax pills and approximately $25,000 in cash.
Gallegos-Martinez has been and will remain in custody pending his transfer to the Bureau of Prisons.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with assistance from the Alamo Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose A. Garcia is prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.