An American woman was arrested Friday while allegedly attempting to smuggle 600 live rounds of ammunition and 170 magazines for loading weapons, all hidden in pillows and socks.
Mexico’s National Guard (GN) reported that the unidentified woman was crossing the border in a tourist bus on the Cordova-Americas International Bridge, which connects El Paso, Texas, to Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.
Although the public transit bus received approval to bypass customs clearance while crossing, her luggage was still subject to X-ray screening, revealing “military equipment.”
According to authorities, the woman was informed of her rights while in detention and her arrest was recorded in the National Registry of Arrest. She and the military equipment were handed over to the Public Prosecutor’s Office for investigation and to determine her legal status.
In a recent similar incident, customs officers in Chihuahua arrested a U.S. citizen who attempted to smuggle an arsenal into Mexico at the same international crossing.
According to the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), authorities seized four long weapons, four short weapons, 11 magazines, 404 cartridges, a silencer and a vehicle.
These aren’t the first cases of Americans being arrested at the border with military items. In February, a U.S. citizen allegedly linked to the Sinaloa Cartel was arrested by Mexican officials while attempting to smuggle an arsenal into Mexico. According to the SSPC, Scott Harvey “N,” attempted to enter the country via the “El Chaparral” international bridge in Tijuana, Baja California.
In a statement, the SSPC said that “the detainee and the seized items belong to the ‘Los Rusos’ faction of the ‘Cártel del Pacífico’ criminal organization.”
In an effort to strengthen security at the border and stop the flow of firearms into the country, Mexico and the U.S. have entered into a new security cooperation agreement.
In his visit to Mexico on Sept. 3, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that both countries are “amplifying” their security cooperation as they seek to combat organized crime groups on both sides of the border.
With reports from 24 horas and El Heraldo de Chihuahua
