San Juan woman attempts to smuggle 33 AK-47s, various other firearms into Mexico

Hidalgo Port of Entry (Courtesy: CBP)

A San Juan woman was arrested Tuesday at the Hidalgo Port of Entry after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered she was attempting to smuggle 33 Ak-47s, three AR-15s, one .22 long rifle, two .45 caliber handguns and 38 magazines in a truck.

Jessica Alvarado, who was born in 1991, was charged with attempting to export firearms from the United States into Mexico, according to a criminal complaint.

CBP conducted an outbound inspection on a Ford F-150 driven by Alvarado where one officer noticed the bed of the pick-up was “abnormally elevated.”

She was then escorted for further inspection.

The complaint doesn’t state where officers found the firearms in the truck.

During the interview with HSI, Alvarado initially stated the truck was left at her residence with instructions to transport the vehicle to Mexico.

She later said that she drove the F-150 from Houston to her residence in San Juan on Monday with the intention of delivering the vehicle to an unknown man in Mexico.

Alvarado added that she suspected she was transporting illegal goods such as firearms or money.

“Alvarado stated she did not possess a license to export firearms from the United States into Mexico,” the complaint said.

She’s set to appear before Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker Thursday afternoon for a bond hearing.