Cynthia Solano, a 40-year-old resident of Phoenix, has been sentenced to 87 months in prison for her role in a transnational firearm smuggling operation. United States District Judge G. Murray Snow also imposed a 36-month supervised release following her prison term. Solano pleaded guilty on August 14, 2024, to charges of possession of a machinegun and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The investigation revealed that between February 2022 and January 2023, Solano conspired with others to conduct financial transactions aimed at concealing proceeds from the sale of firearms trafficked from the United States into Canada. The proceeds were then used by Solano to purchase additional firearms.
In late December 2022, Solano collected 87 firearms in Phoenix with plans to deliver them to associates in Michigan. On January 3, 2023, while driving near Springfield, Illinois, she was stopped by the Illinois State Police. A search of her vehicle uncovered the firearms wrapped individually in Christmas paper. Among them was a firearm equipped with a machinegun conversion device.
After being arraigned in Arizona and placed on pretrial release, Solano removed her electronic monitoring device and fled to Mexico. She was later captured by law enforcement in Mexico through efforts by the United States Marshals’ Office and returned to the U.S. for prosecution.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative aimed at disrupting significant criminal organizations through multi-agency collaboration. The OCDETF Arizona Strike Force includes agents from various federal and local agencies such as Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation among others.
The prosecution was managed by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona in Phoenix.