A Winnsboro man has been handed a four-year sentence for smuggling firearms into Mexico. Miguel Tapia-Barcenas, a 23-year-old Legal Permanent Resident from Mexico, faced a federal judge in Del Rio, Texas, following an incident involving the illegal transport of guns and ammunition across the border, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.

During a routine check at the Del Rio Port of Entry on July 14 last year, Tapia-Barcenas was discovered to have given misleading statements regarding the contents of his vehicle and trailer. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found a cache that included four semiautomatic pistols, 2,688 rounds of ammunition of various calibers, and several gun magazines. Despite his negative declarations for firearms, ammunition and currency over $10,000, the search revealed otherwise. Tapia-Barcenas, it seems, had been hired to carry out the smuggling operation and conceded to carrying out such activities twice before, according to the same press release.

The case, a result of investigations by Homeland Security Investigations and CBP, is one amongst many that highlight the ongoing issues at the U.S.-Mexico border. The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Jaime Esparza, announced the sentencing while Assistant U.S. Attorney Jayvee Rhoda carried the weight of prosecution.