The White House announced that a Honduran national in the U.S. illegally has been indicted for allegedly stealing over 40 firearms from a Tennessee gun store, according to Breitbart and a DOJ press release. The guns, still bearing price tags, were found in his car.

“Under President Trump, criminals like this are being hunted down and taken off our streets,” the White House said on X.

The DOJ wrote in a press release: "Carlos Alberto Diaz-Chavez, 21, a citizen of Honduras without legal status in the United States, has been charged by criminal complaint with being an Alien in possession of a firearm, possession of a machinegun, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee."

Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire added: “We will not hesitate to keep our community safe from those who would illegally possess dangerous firearms, deal deadly narcotics, and who put our first responders at risk by their actions.” 

According to the press release, on February 17, 2025, a Williamson County deputy attempted to stop a silver Toyota Camry on I-65 for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. The car fled, prompting a chase that ended when deputies deployed spike strips and the vehicle crashed into a guardrail near Spring Hill.

Three individuals fled on foot. One, Diaz-Chavez, was caught carrying a backpack containing a machine gun, methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia. Two more guns were found in the car. He later admitted to being in the U.S. illegally since 2019 and said he used the firearms to protect himself while dealing narcotics in Nashville.

Diaz-Chavez faces multiple federal charges carrying up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $1 million.

The case, led by the ATF and local law enforcement, is part of Operation Take Back America, a DOJ effort to combat illegal immigration, cartels, and violent crime.