Mexican National Armed with Shotgun Arrested in Vermont near Canadian Border, Say Feds

Swanton Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a Mexican national illegally in possession of a shotgun near the Canadian border with Vermont, according to court documents obtained by Breitbart Texas. The Mexican man admitted to illegally entering the U.S. approximately 20 years ago.

During the afternoon of September 30, Newport Station Border Patrol agents received information regarding possible illicit cross-border activity near the Vermont border with Canada. Agents responded to the area and made contact with a local resident who told an agent about a suspicious person “taking pictures of the sky,” according to the probable cause statement.

The agent went to the location approximately one mile south of the border and found a man standing outside a blue Jeep Liberty. The agent made contact with the man, later identified as 35-year-old Ciro Temich-Ramirez. The man told the agent his vehicle had overheated as he walked around to the driver’s side of the Jeep.

The man told the agent he lived in North Carolina. The agent asked the Temich-Ramirez about his citizenship but he did not answer. Instead, he nervously walked toward the driver’s door. The agent blocked him from entering the vehicle and noticed a knife in the man’s possession. The agent took possession of the knife and asked if he had any other weapons.

As the agent attempted to control Temich-Ramirez, the man allegedly resisted arrest and began to fight with the agent. The agent eventually was able to call for backup on his radio. A supervisor arrived a short time later and helped the agent take the man into custody.

Another supervisor arrived and noticed what appeared to be a pistol in the vehicle. The agents searched the vehicle and found a loaded Mossberg Model 500 shotgun with a pistol grip. The agents also found an air pistol designed to look like a firearm, brass knuckles, a knife, a 30-round AR-15 magazine, and 103 rounds of shotgun shells, according to the criminal complaint.

The agents also reported the discovery of methamphetamine and open beer cans in the center console of the Jeep.

During an interview with agents at the Newport Station, Temich-Ramierz told the agents he was born in Veracruz, Mexico, and had entered the U.S. illegally approximately 20 years ago, the complaint states.

The agents asked him why he was in Vermont. The Mexican national, who earlier said he lives in North Carolina, told the agents he fought with his wife and “just started driving.” He denied knowing that he was less than one mile from the Canadian border. He said he had the shotgun, purchased legally by his U.S. citizen wife, because he slept in the car and that it was dangerous to do so. He allegedly admitted to knowing it was illegal for him to possess a firearm.

Temich-Ramirez now faces a federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm by an individual who is unlawfully in the United States, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont. The suspect appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on Tuesday. The judge found sufficient probable cause and ordered the Mexican national to be detained, court documents revealed.

If convicted on the federal firearms charge, Temich-Ramirez could face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.