HPL gang members sent to prison for attempting to sell machine guns to cartel

LAREDO, Texas – Two members of the Hermanos de Pistoleros Latinos (HPL) gang have been sentenced for unlawful possession of a machine gun, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Laredo residents and brothers Alberto Del Bosque, 24, and Anthony Del Bosque, 22, pleaded guilty Jan. 4, 2023, and Dec. 9, 2022, respectively. Alberto Del Bosque was also convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña has now imposed a total 120-month term of imprisonment for Alberto Del Bosque, while his brother received 63 months. Both must also serve three years of supervised release following their sentences. At the hearing, the court heard additional information about both men’s criminal histories as well as a recent shooting in another state where a machine gun similar to the ones the Del Bosque brothers were selling caused the death of four individuals and injured 22 others. In handing down the prison terms, Judge Saldaña noted the machine guns the brothers sold were very dangerous to the public.

“A small piece of plastic produced quickly and at a low cost on a 3-D printer can convert a legal firearm into a machine gun that sprays bullets indiscriminately,” said Hamdani. “The Del Bosque brothers manufactured these pieces of plastic, known as machine gun conversion devices (MCDs) and sold them to a purported cartel associate, which shows a total disregard for human life. This prosecution demonstrates my office’s commitment to disrupting MCD manufacturers and protecting the public by taking gang members, like the Del Bosque brothers, off the streets and into prison cells.” said Hamdani.

On July 5, 2022, law enforcement discovered Alberto Del Bosque was selling firearms and arranged to purchase one. He sold a Draco Nova Modul NAK9, 9mm AK pistol with 12 rounds of ammunition. As a convicted felon, Alberto Del Bosque is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition per federal law.

During August and September 2022, the Del Bosque brothers were also selling 3D-printed drop in auto sears and privately made AR-15s with drop in auto sears. The purchaser of the drop in auto sears and privately made AR-15s claimed to be a procurer of firearms for the Cartel Del Noreste.

A drop in auto sear aka MCD turns a semi-automatic firearm into a machine gun.

On Oct. 6, 2022, authorities executed a search warrant on Anthony Del Bosque’s residence and located a 3D printer with an MCD in the printer, a paper diagram of an AR-15 drop in auto sear, numerous MCDs, multiple calibers of ammunition, AR-15 and 9mm magazines, $18,071 in U.S. currency and a device for making AR-15 lowers.

The HPL translates to Brotherhood of Latin Gunmen. HPL members maintain ties to the cartels and have involvement in the trafficking of controlled substances into the United States.

The Del Bosque brothers have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Border Patrol and Laredo Police Department conducted the investigation. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Former (AUSA) Angel Moreno and AUSA Steven Chamberlin prosecuted the case.