Arrested Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics agent was tracked by authorities for several days

Francisco Javier Reyes, 29, was arraigned Tuesday in federal court after his arrest by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents. He is charged in connection with a gunrunning scheme that led to the trafficking of firearms to Mexico, according to court records.

Federal authorities allege Reyes, of Oklahoma City, recruited two friends to buy guns for him. The guns later were transported south toward Mexico, where authorities think they were to be delivered.

Reyes resigned from the bureau and was ordered freed on personal recognizance bond.

On June 9, ATF agents followed Reyes from Oklahoma City to Woodward, where he stopped at Butch's Gun Shop, 5005 W Oklahoma Ave., a court affidavit states. He came out with two men and a .50-caliber gun case, which ATF agents had equipped with a tracking device, the affidavit states. The men put the case in the back of Reyes' sport utility vehicle, and agents followed Reyes back to Oklahoma City and eventually to Purcell.

Reyes pulled into a parking lot with a black BMW M3 convertible along Interstate 35 in Purcell, then Reyes headed north and the BMW left headed south, according to the affidavit. The tracking device then showed the gun case was in the BMW. It later exited the freeway and when it got back on, it appeared to be "driving in tandem" with a tan Range Rover. Authorities later determined the case was in the Range Rover, which later parked at a Lewisville, Texas, residence with the BMW, the affidavit states.

Officials eventually tracked the .50-caliber gun case to a Dallas apartment complex which was then put on 24-hour surveillance, the affidavit states. Agents followed the gun's movements for about a week and eventually worked with Texas troopers to pull over a Ford Explorer and a Saturn car for traffic violations near the Mexican border, the affidavit states.

The Explorer had the .50-caliber rifle inside with its serial number scratched off and 12 assault rifles. The Saturn had one pistol and 30 assault rifles inside, and agents said many of the guns had obliterated serial numbers, the affidavit states.