Southwest Arizona Border Agents Seize Firearms and Drugs
SAN LUIS, AZ (AZFamily) — Several smuggling attempts at the Arizona - Mexico border led to the recovery of weapons, drugs, and cash.
Officials at the San Luis Port of Entry said three major busts occurred over the weekend, involving both inbound and outbound operations.
On Saturday, an 18-year-old U.S. Citizen was arrested for attempting to cross over 70 pounds of fentanyl to the U.S illegally. The drugs had an estimated $600,000 street value.
CBP San Luis watch commander Justin Winburn said it’s not just drugs coming into the U.S. but dangerous firearms heading south into Mexico.
“We have to look and try to intercept the currency, the ammunition and the weapons that are going to go back to the drug trafficking organizations,” said Winburn.
He said they’ve been able to make some major busts with agents doing routine checks for people driving into Mexico.
On Friday, CBP arrested a 19-year-old U.S. citizen attempting to cross 100 boxes of ammo hidden beneath the seats of the vehicle.
“We have officers that we use in the outbound environment, in this particular seizure it was a K9 that alerted to ammunition within the vehicle, from there we took the vehicle into secondary,” Winburn said.
Smuggling guns to Mexico has been an ongoing trend that authorities say is fueling cartels.
It’s estimated that 70% of the guns recovered from crimes in Mexico come from the U.S.
Earlier this month, a Mexican citizen tried to smuggle this firearm, an AK-47, through the Mariposa Port of Entry. He told investigators the gun was going to a member of the mafia in Nogales.
During the last fiscal year, CBP agents saw an increase in the number of smuggling attempts involving weapons and ammunition, which added up to 5,000 seizures.
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