Customs and Border Protection officers at the Presidio Port of Entry stopped a southbound vehicle that federal agents say was stuffed with weapons and ammunition headed for Mexico. The Wednesday seizure pulled multiple rifles, handguns, dozens of magazines, and roughly 500 rounds from a single vehicle and led to one arrest. Authorities called the haul unusually large for the small West Texas border crossing, and the driver now faces federal smuggling and firearms-related charges.
According to CBP, officers found six rifles, two handguns, 160 magazines, approximately 500 rounds of ammunition, and firearm components, including machine-gun barrels, hidden inside a 2013 Nissan trying to cross into Mexico. The driver - a lawful U.S. permanent resident who also holds Mexican citizenship - was taken into custody and charged with smuggling goods and trafficking in firearms, as KTSM reported in a car packed with rifles, handguns and ammo.
CBP: Keeping Guns Out Of Cartel Hands
CBP officials in El Paso said the discovery came during an outbound inspection and stressed that stopping this kind of run is central to their mission. "This seizure demonstrates CBP’s commitment to preventing firearms and ammunition from illegally entering Mexico and arming dangerous criminal organizations," the agency said, according to CBP’s account of the Presidio stop. The case has been turned over to federal partners for prosecution.
Why It Matters
Federal authorities say trafficked firearms are a key fuel source for cartel violence across the border, and seizing weapons at ports of entry is one of the few chances to cut that supply on the front end. The Department of Justice and ATF have detailed nationwide operations that recovered thousands of illegal firearms bound for Mexico, placing this Presidio bust within a much larger enforcement push; see the summary from DOJ/ATF. Past prosecutions in the Western District of Texas have resulted in lengthy prison terms for smugglers, underscoring the federal focus on blocking weapons flows. In one Del Rio case, a convicted firearms smuggler received a 15-year sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Texas.
The investigation into the Presidio seizure remains active, and the driver is still in custody as federal authorities move the case forward.
