MISSOULA — A man in the country unlawfully who was arrested at his Gallatin Gateway residence in April 2024 pleaded guilty to charges of illegally possessing firearms and ammunition, according to U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich.
Laslovich said in a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana, that 25-year-old Oscar Enrique Ruiz Rojas pleaded guilty to prohibited person in possession of firearms and ammunition.
The release said Rojas was under investigation for cocaine distribution, and law enforcement observed him outside his residence with a pistol on his hip on two days in April.
Law enforcement reportedly served a search warrant on April 24 and found several firearms and ammunition in Rojas's residence.
The release said Rojas admitted to law enforcement that he had been in the U.S. illegally for the past six years after crossing the southern border at Nogales, Arizona.
Rojas allegedly also told law enforcement he had purchased a .22-caliber firearm for $400 from an individual.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided over the trial and set sentencing for Dec. 18, 2024 before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen.
Rojas was detained pending his sentencing. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release, according to the release.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case that was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
