A father and son duo from Houston are facing charges of illegal firearm trafficking after authorities intercepted their operation, which involved over 75 firearms and a stockpile of ammunition, as reported by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Andres Avila, a 48-year-old undocumented immigrant from Mexico, and his 22-year-old son Anthony, were arrested in a coordinated effort by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Dallas, the ATF, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. It appears they made firearm purchases using cash to avoid detection at local gun shows, according to the ICE news release.
During the investigation, law enforcement observed the Avilas engaging in suspicious activity that suggested straw purchasing, which involves buying guns on behalf of someone who is legally prohibited from possessing them, and this observation kick-started the bust. The agents saw Andres and Anthony moving firearms into large totes hidden under a vendor's table after filling their backpacks with weapons.
Upon their departure from one such gun show, a vehicle stop yielded a trove of ammunition. The ammunition was marked similarly to that available at the gun show they were spotted at, in their vehicle, which had a Texas license plate, and the consequent investigation confirmed Andres's illegal status in the U.S., barring him from owning or acquiring firearms as per federal law. On interviewing vendors at the booth where the firearms were hidden, authorities learned that Andres had not legally entered the United States, and they uncovered the firearms cache, as noted in the same ICE news release.
The Texan pawn shop that introduced the vendors to the Avilas reported the father and son promised cash for firearm magazines, the vendors would pay cash for the firearm magazines, which is how this connection was established; however, the deeper implications of their dealings are now under scrutiny by Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Dowdell, who is prosecuting the case with full details available through ICE's official website.
