NOGALES, Ariz. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the Tucson Field Office, a component of CBP’s Joint Field Command – Arizona, arrested a man for attempting to smuggle nearly 7,500 rounds of ammunition into Mexico yesterday.
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Nogales CBP officers conducting outbound enforcement operations at the Dennis DeConcini Port referred the 51-year-old Mexican man living in Rio Rico, for a secondary inspection of his Chevrolet SUV. When officers searched the vehicle, they discovered 5,860 rounds of 7.62 x 39, 1,100 rounds of .223-caliber and 500 rounds of 9-mm ammunition concealed in the vehicle’s quarter panels. In addition, a tactical armored vest was seized. After arresting the man, CBP officers turned the driver over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigation for further investigation.
Individuals arrested are charged with a criminal complaint, which raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
CBP announced the JFC-AZ in February 2011 as an organizational realignment that brings together the Tucson and Yuma Border Patrol Sectors and Air Branches, as well as the Tucson Field Office, under a unified command structure. JFC-AZ integrates CBP’s border security, commercial enforcement and trade facilitation missions to more effectively meet the unique challenges faced in Arizona. Follow us on Twitter @CBPArizona or visit us at http://www.cbp.gov/Arizona for more information.
CBP's Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. OFO officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.
