U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized a rocket-propelled grenade launcher tube, rifles, and other weapon parts from a U.S. citizen attempting to leave the country at the Nogales Port of Entry, DeConcini Crossing, according to an April 22 announcement.
The seizure highlights ongoing efforts by border officials to prevent illegal weapons trafficking into Mexico, which authorities say fuels violence linked to criminal organizations.
According to CBP, on April 19 officers referred a 41-year-old female U.S. citizen driving a Lexus IS 200t for further inspection as she tried to enter Mexico with three minors. After a nonintrusive scan showed an anomaly under the back seat, officers discovered a void containing an RPG launcher tube, four rifles, an AK pistol, sixteen AK rifles, twenty-four rifle magazines, sixteen rifle stocks, twenty pistol grips and other weapon parts. The vehicle and weapons were seized; the driver was arrested and charged with smuggling goods from the United States under federal law. The three children were released into family custody.
CBP’s Acting Deputy Commissioner Ron Vitiello said: “Under the powerful leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin,
our frontline CBP officers utilized an effective combination of inspection experience and technology to find these weapons and prevent them from falling into the hands of the cartels.” He added: “CBP prevented these dangerous weapons from wreaking havoc on the good people of Mexico.”
Acting Director of Field Operations Carlos Gonzalez said: "Every day, CBP officers serve on the front lines, actively dismantling the transnational criminal organizations that destabilize the region. U.S. Customs and Border Protection remains steadfast in its mission to secure our borders and prevent these illicit networks from threatening the safety of our nation."
U.S. Attorney for Arizona Timothy Courchaine said: “President Trump designated criminal drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations for good reason, and this case is one of many that shows their violent intent to hang on to power... The United States Attorney’s Office is proud to work alongside the Department of Homeland Security to make sure we choke off the flow of weapons to violent actors in Mexico and bring their accomplices in the United States to justice.”
Federal law allows individuals accused in such cases be charged by complaint without inferring guilt; all are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
