A federal court granted a continuance to Presidio resident Tiburcio “Butch” Acosta for his sentencing — which was scheduled for October 27 but now will take place on January 19 — after he pleaded guilty to felony gun smuggling charges on July 7. Prosecutors said in court documents that Acosta and another man helped smuggle high-powered weapons and ammunition to the La Linea cartel in Ojinaga, Mexico.
Court records show Acosta had reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, which is not public. In addition to the two counts of smuggling goods, which can result in fines of up to $250,000 and 10 years in prison, Acosta initially faced a firearms trafficking charge that was not pursued by prosecutors in the deal.
Also charged in the case was Adalberto Jaquez-Hinojosa, a Presidio resident, who was sentenced on October 2 to 27 months in prison.
Acosta — a popular manager of a duty-free tax store and a barbecue caterer — was arrested on November 13, 2025, after prosecutors compiled mobile phone records from Acosta, Jaquez-Hinojosa, and another source with discussions about smuggling weapons to the La Linea cartel.
Attorneys for Acosta argued in bond hearings that evidence found of him in possession of guns was merely favors for friends trying not to break Mexican law by bringing weapons into Mexico.
Acosta was released on a bond of $3,000 on December 12, 2025, after spending a month in detention. Court records show Acosta originally was under nighttime curfews and radio monitoring on his conditions of release, which the court changed on several occasions to allow him to work before finally cancelling the conditions all together on August 25.
Court records show the sentencing continuance was due to conflicts Acosta’s defense attorney had on dates with other cases. Prosecutors did not oppose the continuance.
