McALLEN, Texas — Federal authorities seized more than 5,900 rounds of ammunition that were destined for a drug cartel in Mexico as criminal organizations continue to stockpile weapons.
The most recent seizure took place at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge when 26-year-old Marco Antonio Medrano Gutierrez tried to drive a Ford pickup into Mexico, court records obtained by Breitbart Texas revealed.
Agents with Homeland Security Investigations as well as Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection had Medrano take his vehicle into a secondary inspection area. As authorities searched the vehicle, Medrano told CBP officers that there were various ammunition rounds hidden in the vehicle. In total, authorities found 5,942 ammunition rounds hidden within the panels of the pickup. Medrano Gutierrez is listed as a Mexican national in court documents, however it remains unclear if he is a legal resident or if he had a tourist visa at the time of his arrest.
On Monday, U.S, Magistrate Judge Peter Ormsby formally notified Medrano of the charges against him and ordered he be held without bond.
As Breitbart Texas has reported in the past, Mexican drug cartels have been responsible for the out-of-control violence that continues to spread over Mexico. Despite Mexico having some of the strictest gun laws, cartel armies in that country have been able to stockpile Russian RPG’s, grenade launchers, bazookas, machine guns, and other weapons.
Ammunition Smuggling by ildefonso ortiz on Scribd
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project and you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.
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