Man detained attempting to export nearly 6K rounds of ammunition

McALLEN — A Mexican national faces federal felony charges after authorities said he attempted to export bullets into Mexico, according to court records.

Marco Antonio Medrano-Gutierrez, 26, was detained and charged Nov. 11 with a federal offense of attempting to export 5,942 rounds of ammunition, according to the criminal complaint.

Federal officials, including Homeland Security Investigations agents, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, referred Medrano, who was driving a brown Ford pickup on his way to Mexico, for an inspection at the Hidalgo Port of Entry, the complaint states.

During the inspection, officials discovered ammunition in the door panels of the truck, the complaint states.

Medrano admitted to federal authorities he purchased the ammo and concealed it within his truck in order to smuggle it into Mexico, and he told agents he was aware it was illegal to do so, the court document states.

Thursday, a few days after his initial appearance in federal court, Medrano was in court again to hear about his possible release, but U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Ormsby denied Medrano a bond based on the charges against him, according to court records.

Medrano is expected in court at a future date but that information was not readily available.