Mexican National Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

Jackson, MS – A Mexican national, residing in the United States illegally, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

According to court documents, Joel Terrazas Olvera, 51, was found in possession of a firearm by a Rankin County Sheriff’s Deputy on September 19, 2023, during a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Olvera was riding as a passenger. A federal grand jury indicted Olvera for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.  He pled guilty on February 23, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee, Acting Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, and Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives made the announcement.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Goff prosecuted the case.

This case was 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.