A man from Austin, Texas, was caught trying to smuggle 40 firearms into Mexico by United States authorities last month.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in federal prison.
Austin Man Charged with Smuggling Dozens of Firearms into Mexico Through Eagle Pass https://t.co/cOlb3PNLyF @HSI_SanAntonio pic.twitter.com/6BGkyzrWqR
— U.S. Attorney WDTX (@USAO_WDTX) January 29, 2025
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Victor Hugo Diego-Avellaneda, 39, denied having weapons or ammunition as he tried to cross into Mexico at the Eagle Pass (Texas) Port of Entry on Jan. 19.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers then ordered the suspect to submit to a secondary inspection during which agents found 40 rifles, six shotguns, one pistol, 80 magazines and two rifle scopes.
In a formal criminal complaint, Diego-Avellaneda allegedly claimed that he was being paid US $100 for each weapon while also stating that 11 of the firearms belonged to him. The suspect has been charged with one count of smuggling goods out of the United States.
The announcement of the arrest was made by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Texas on Jan. 29, which added that the U.S. Office of Homeland Security is investigating the case.
News of the arrest came just days before U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian exports as a consequence of illegal immigration and drug smuggling across the United States’ borders.
As part of a deal reached Monday to avert the tariffs, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said she agreed to send soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border. According to Sheinbaum, Trump’s part of the deal includes working to prevent high-powered weapons from being trafficked into Mexico.
In a social media post, Sheinbaum said that Mexico will “immediately reinforce” the Mexico-U.S. border with 10,000 National Guard troops, and the United States will work to prevent arms trafficking.
While Trump confirmed the talks with Sheinbaum in his own social media post, he did not mention the commitment to address arms trafficking at the U.S. border, but mentioned that U.S. Cabinet officials would “attempt to achieve a ‘deal’ between our two Countries.”
I just spoke with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico. It was a very friendly conversation wherein she agreed to immediately supply 10,000 Mexican Soldiers on the Border separating Mexico and the United States. These soldiers will be specifically designated to stop the flow of…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) February 3, 2025
According to the newspaper El Imparcial, official U.S. data indicates there are 9,000 gun shops near Mexico’s border in the U.S. states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick will comprise the U.S. working group leading the trade negotiations.
Sheinbaum did not yet announce who would be negotiating on behalf of Mexico.
With reports from Infobae, The Associated Press and El Imparcial
