Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Mexican national has been sentenced to 120 months in prison after TSA agents at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport found firearms and methamphetamine in his luggage, announced United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on October 29, 2021, Kevin Alan Aguilar-Moreno, 21, attempted to board a Delta Airlines flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix, checking two suitcases prior to boarding. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening determined that Aguilar-Moreno’s luggage contained approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine; a FN, Model 509 9x19 pistol; a Rock Island Armory, 1911 A1-FS pistol; an AR-15 type firearm with no serial number; eight rifle and handgun magazines; and 241 rounds of .223 ammunition, of which 39 were armor piercing ammunition. Aguilar-Moreno admitted that he obtained the narcotics from an individual in Red Wing, Minnesota, and was planning to sell them in Phoenix, Arizona.

Law enforcement determined that the AR-15 type firearm was a privately made firearm (PMF). These firearms are commonly known as “ghost guns” because they do not have serial numbers, which makes them difficult for law enforcement to trace.

On March 30, 2022, Aguilar-Moreno pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Aguilar-Moreno was sentenced today in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, Transportation Security Administration, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Dunne prosecuted the case.