Several “asylum seekers” believed to have ties to a Mexican drug cartel were reportedly arrested while transporting nearly 30,000 rounds of ammunition in Arizona.
A multi-agency investigation in mid-January resulted in the seizure of 10,000 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition and 19,640 rounds of 7.62×39 ammunition from two vehicles traveling on Interstate 10.
“Cartels are waging violence and terrorist activities.”
The Cochise County Anti-Drug Trafficking Alliance released a statement regarding the raid over the weekend.
“The vehicle loaded with 7.62×39 ammunition was impounded by the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. However, a second vehicle loaded with .50 caliber ammunition was located by CNTA agents at the Motel 6 in Benson,” the sheriff's office said. the government office wrote.
The statement further noted that three of the vehicle's occupants were “asylum seekers,” one of whom was a Cuban national. The fourth person was identified as an American citizen from Texas.
Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels said the individuals were arrested.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are leading the ongoing investigation.
Although it has not yet been confirmed, authorities suspect that the large shipment of ammunition is tied to Mexican drug cartels.
said Bernard Zapor, a former ATF special agent. KSAZ-TV“One thing is for sure: U.S. ammunition is a very popular commodity in Mexico. It's extremely valuable.”
“There are some very interesting things about this. It was the method of transportation, and it wasn't even hidden from the photos of the arrestees. It was just very blatantly kept in an SUV, which is probably why they It shows me that it was stored.'Its entry into Mexico was completely arranged,'' Zapor said.
On Monday, the first day of President Donald Trump's second term, he signed the following agreement: presidential order Cartels are designated as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
“Cartels wage campaigns of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere, destabilizing countries critical to our national interests, as well as flooding the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and violent gangs,” the order said. It is written that .
It continued: “Cartels effectively control nearly all illicit traffic that crosses the United States' southern border through operations such as assassinations, terrorism, rape, and brutality.” “In certain regions of Mexico, cartels function as quasi-governmental institutions, controlling nearly every aspect of society. Cartel activities are aimed at the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of international order in Mexico. Their activities in the Western Hemisphere, their access to, and their incursions into U.S. physical territory pose an unacceptable national security risk to the United States. ”
Last week, the Department of Justice announced A “prolific gun trafficker” has been sentenced to 19 and a half years in prison for smuggling arms and ammunition into Mexico for the Sinaloa cartel, the state announced.
“Guns and ammunition smuggled into Mexico support cartels and empower drug traffickers,” said Tara McGrath, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California.
DEA Special Agent Brian Clark said firearms and ammunition trafficking is a “lifeblood” for cartels.
“Weapons trafficking fuels drug-related violence,” Clark said.
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