Last weekend, a seemingly routine bus inspection at the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry in El Paso led to the arrest of two Mexican national bus drivers on charges connected to an alleged attempt to smuggle a staggering amount of ammunition out of the United States, on a vehicle originating from Phoenix, Arizona. According to the U.S. Department of Justice from the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, the bus, driven by Lucio Enriquez Garcia with Ramiro Antonio Barbosa Resendiz as the assistant driver, was stopped as part of routine checks.
The bus drivers, initially, reported to Customs and Border Protection officers that they were transporting 16 passengers, which included some children, from Phoenix, Arizona to Zacatecas, Mexico, and denied the possession of any firearms or ammunition on board. However, the subsequent search proved to be a revelation when officers discovered 26 black totes, filled with tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition. This discovery quickly escalated the situation from a routine check to a national security concern, prompting an extensive investigation.
Specifically, 11 of the totes were packed with 33,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition and the remaining 15 totes held 59,900 rounds of .223 caliber rifle ammunition, totaling 92,900 rounds. Following the discovery, Garcia and Resendiz were both arrested and now face charges of smuggling goods from the United States, which could potentially lead them to serve up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
"A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law," as noted in the official announcement by U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza, as per the U.S. Department of Justice. The preliminary court appearance for both men took place on Monday. It is now down to a federal district court judge to eventually determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The case is currently being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and CBP, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg McDonald undertaking the prosecution.
