PRESIDIO, Texas -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at the Presidio port of entry made a weapons seizure January 29. The ensuing investigation led to the arrest of another person being sought in Austin on an outstanding manslaughter warrant.
“An enforcement action at the port of entry will sometimes open the door to the discovery of other illegal activity,” said CBP Presidio Port Director Fred Hutterer. “By working closely with our DHS partners at Homeland Security Investigations a dangerous person was taken into custody.”
CBP officers working at the primary inspection booth were processing a 2018 GMC Silverado pickup truck that entered the port from Mexico after being denied entry to Mexico by authorities there. CBP officers initiated a thorough exam of the vehicle when they discovered four .22 caliber handguns concealed under the front seats.
CBP officers arrested the two occupants of the vehicle, 39-year-old Pricilla Bustos Martinez and 35-year-old Jessica Tagle. Both U.S. citizens were turned over to HSI as part of the investigation.
HSI agents learned that the women were connected to a third person involved in the failed weapon smuggling attempt. That person was the subject of an active manslaughter warrant in Austin. The U.S. attorney accepted prosecution on all three people.
While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.