Guilty Plea in Arkansas the First Successful Prosecution of Exportation and Manufacturing of Mexican Cartel Firearms

On November 9, 2021, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas announced that Andrew Scott Pierson, 47, of Jay, Oklahoma, has pleaded guilty to his role in a conspiracy, resulting in the trafficking of firearms to Mexican cartels as part of “operation Thor’s Hammer,” an effort to disrupt cartels’ access to firearms. U.S. District Judge Brian S. Miller, who presided over the plea, will sentence Pierson at a later date.  Acting U.S. Attorney Jonathan D. Ross said, “(t)his case is the first successful prosecution in the country of the exportation and manufacturing of Mexican cartel firearms.”[1]