A Houston man’s failure to declare he was transporting a firearm across Brownsville to Mexico has landed him in jail, court documents indicate.
Amos Sifuentes, 28, is charged with one count of illegal exportation.
Sifuentes appeared Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ignacio Torteya III, who ordered he be held without bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 4.
According to a federal criminal complaint, Sifuentes was crossing the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville on Wednesday on his way to Mexico.
As U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers inspected vehicles heading south, they selected a dark blue Dodge Challenger, driven by Sifuentes for random inspection, the federal criminal complaint states.
Sifuentes was escorted to an outbound secondary location where his car was to undergo a seven-point inspection.
The federal criminal complaint states CBP officers removed the center rear console vent cover and found a “complete lower handgun receiver wrapped in tape with four (4) loose magazines. A handgun upper was also discovered beneath the driver’s seat under the carpet.”
A further inspection of the car led to the discovery of a black sock containing ammunition, the complaint states.
A .9mm Glock handgun, along with 4 magazines and 100 rounds of ammunition were seized from Sifuentes, the federal criminal complaint states.
During a post Miranda interview, Sifuentes admitted to concealing the handgun in different places of the car, as well as the ammunition, according to authorities.
