CBP Officers, Border Patrol Agents at Hidalgo International Bridge Seize Assault Rifles and Magazines

Hidalgo, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and U.S. Border Patrol agents working at the Hidalgo/Reynosa International Bridge seized 11 assault rifles and 12 high-capacity ammunition magazines during an outbound enforcement operation.

On April 15, CBP officers and Border Patrol agents working outbound enforcement operations at the Hidalgo/Reynosa International Bridge came in contact with a 1994 Ford F-150 pickup truck that was headed south into Mexico. The driver was identified as a 41-year-old U.S. citizen from Edinburg, Texas.

A CBP officer referred the driver and vehicle to secondary for further inspection. In secondary, officers seized 11 assault type rifles and 12 high-capacity ammunition magazines. All were discovered hidden within the pickup truck. The Ford F-150 pickup truck was also seized by CBP.

The male traveler was transferred to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for further investigation.

“Our frontline CBP officers and U.S. Border Patrol agents continue working hard to secure our nation’s borders by preventing the illegal exportation of military type weapons into Mexico,” said Hector A. Mancha, CBP port director for Hidalgo/Pharr. “I commend our cadre of officers for a job well done.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.