U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at the Port of Nogales in Arizona arrested a 21-year-old man from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico on Jan. 9 for attempting to smuggle a large weapons cache into Mexico through the port.
During routine outbound operations, officers selected the man for a secondary inspection of his Chevrolet truck as he attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border over the Dennis DiConcini crossing. After a brief examination of the man’s truck, the officers found seven tactical rifles, one handgun, two holsters, and a variety of magazines and assorted ammunition concealed within the vehicle’s speaker box.
The officers proceeded to seize the weapons cache and the vehicle. The man was then turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit for further criminal processing.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of the nation’s borders at and between the official ports of entry. The agency is tasked with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.