Hidalgo, Texas- U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and Border Patrol agents working at the Hidalgo/Reynosa International Bridge seized 13 assault rifles and 27 high-capacity ammunition magazines during an outbound enforcement operation.
On March 4, CBP officers and Border Patrol agents working outbound enforcement operations at the Hidalgo/Reynosa International Bridge came in contact with a 1992 Ford F-150 pickup truck that was headed south into Mexico. The driver was identified as a 20-year-old Mexican citizen from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
A CBP officer referred the driver and vehicle to secondary for further inspection. In secondary, officers seized six AR15, .223 caliber assault rifles, five AK47, 7.62 caliber assault rifles, one PTR91 .308 caliber assault rifle, one G3 CETME .308 caliber assault rifle and 27 high-capacity ammunition magazines. All were discovered hidden within the vehicle's gas tank. The Ford F-150 pickup truck was also seized by CBP.
The male traveler was transferred to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.
"Recently, our frontline officers have seized several loads of assault-type weapons that were headed south into Mexico," said Hector A. Mancha, CBP port director for Hidalgo/Pharr "Our officers and Border Patrol agents continue working hard to secure our nation's borders and to disrupt the illegal flow of weapons into Mexico."
