U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers apprehended a 33-year-old U.S. citizen attempting to export 2,200 rounds of ammunition into Mexico on Monday.
According to a criminal complaint, the CBP Office of Field Operations called Homeland Security Investigations in McAllen after they encountered Angel Gonzalez attempting to enter Mexico with approximately 2,200 rounds of ammo in a green Ford Expedition.
“The undeclared exportation of weapons and ammunition into Mexico is illegal,” Port Director Carlos Rodriguez said in a press release. “Our CBP officers prevented these bullets from reaching Mexico thanks to their diligent inspection work.”
The encounter occurred at 3:05 p.m. when officers observed ammo in the passenger compartment of the vehicle and a further search revealed a shipping box labeled “ammunition” in the backseat.
The complaint also states that the third-row seats had been folded down to conceal more boxes of ammo.
“After physically inspecting the vehicle, officers discovered a total of five 1,200 .308 caliber rifle rounds and 1,000 .223 caliber rifle rounds concealed within the vehicle,” the release said.
During an interview with HSI, Gonzalez admitted that an individual provided him with $1,400 to order the ammo from an online vendor to be shipped to his address in the U.S. and transport it to the Mexican city of Reynosa.
He added that he was to be paid $500 once he delivered the ammunition as payment.
Gonzalez is set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alaniz Thursday afternoon for his detention hearing.
