Army reservists charged with selling guns to Mexican cartels (VIDEO)

Authorities Wednesday took two California men into custody after an eight month investigation found they allegedly tried to sell guns, 250 magazines and military body armor to undercover agents.

As reported by CNN, the two, identified in court documents as Jaime Casillas and Andrew Reyes, sold a number of firearms to include four AR-15s and a Yugo SKS to individuals they believed to be Mexican based drug trafficking organizations. In meetings with the agents, the two allegedly advised they were members of the U.S. Army reserve and could obtain military munitions for sale to the cartel.

On at least one occasion, the two defendants met undercover agents while wearing their uniforms.

Between August 2014 and March of this year, the defendants met agents no less than nine times and brokered sales of military grade hard body armor (SAPI) plates and new M4/M16 magazines still in their protective wrapper. The reservists advised the items had been acquired from military arsenals.

In one trade, last December, Reyes sold 20 SAPI plates for $2,000 and 100 magazines for $800. In a subsequent one this January, agents detail that he sold another 150 magazines for $1,500.

On April 15, both Casillas and Reyes were taken into custody by federal agents and are expected to be arraigned in federal court at 2 p.m. Thursday.

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