Texas Border Business
EL PASO, TEXAS – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the El Paso port of entry seized 92,900 rounds of large caliber ammunition August 17, 2024. The ammunition was on a commercial bus leaving the U.S. and entering Mexico at the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) port of entry.
The seizure almost triples the amount of ammunition CBP officers performing outbound enforcement inspections at the El Paso field office have made during the last three fiscal years (FY) combined. CBP officers seized 15,678 rounds in FY 2021, 7,224 rounds in FY 2022 and 11, 205 rounds in FY 2023.
“CBP’s primary mission is to inspect all goods and people entering the U.S. from abroad but the agency will also perform outbound inspections as part of our overall enforcement portfolio,” said CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector A., Mancha. “The magnitude of this seizure is impactful. Had this ammunition fallen into the hands of transnational criminal organizations the impact could have been devasting.”
This seizure occurred just after 7:00 p.m. when members of CBP’s Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team (ATCET) initiated an operation at the southbound lanes of the BOTA port of entry. A commercial tour bus from Mexico arrived and was selected for exam. CBP officers noted that the two bus drivers depicted nervous behavior during the routine inspection.
The bus was secured and CBP officers initiated their exam. During a search of the cargo bay they discovered multiple 27-gallon plastic storage totes that seemed very heavy. Upon inspection of the totes they were found to contain boxes of ammunition A total of 59,900 rounds of .223 ammunition and 33,000 rounds 7.62 x 39 ammunition were seized.
The drivers were male citizens of Mexico. Both were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations and will face charges related to the failed smuggling attempt. CBP seized the bus.
At the time of the incident a total 16 passengers were on the bus. One was in the U.S. illegally and was processed accordingly. The remaining 15 were released and continued their journey on a different bus.
CBP will often initiate pulse and surge southbound operations at area ports to inspect traffic and identify export violations to include the smuggling of unreported currency, weapons and ammunition.
“CBP officers working at the El Paso port of entry target all threats to enforce laws on the international border and make our communities safer on both sides of the border,” said acting CBP El Paso Port Director Albert Barnes.