U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the El Paso port of entry made a notable interception on August 17, 2024, seizing 92,900 rounds of large caliber ammunition. The discovery was made during a standard inspection procedure at the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) port of entry, where agents found the ammunition on a commercial bus heading to Mexico.
The CBP Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team (ATCET) carried out the operation southbound, selecting the bus for secondary inspection after noticing the bus drivers’ nervous behavior. This behavior led officers to discover multiple heavy 27-gallon plastic storage totes containing a sizeable cache of ammunition—59,900 rounds of .223 ammunition and 33,000 rounds of 7.62 x 39 ammunition.
The Scope of the Seizure
This particular seizure is significant not only because of the quantity but also because it nearly triples the total amount of ammunition seized by CBP officers at the El Paso field office over the course of the last three fiscal years combined. To put it into perspective, previous seizures amounted to 15,678 rounds in FY 2021, 7,224 rounds in FY 2022, and 11,205 rounds in FY 2023. The scale of this operation underscores the ever-increasing challenges that border patrol agents face in combating illegal arms trafficking.
“The magnitude of this seizure is impactful,” Hector A. Mancha, CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations. “Had this ammunition fallen into the hands of transnational criminal organizations, the impact could have been devastating.”
Further enhancing the gravity of the situation, CBP officials revealed that the two male bus drivers, who are citizens of Mexico, have been handed over to Homeland Security Investigations and will face smuggling charges. The bus, which carried 16 passengers, was seized by CBP while one passenger, found to be in the U.S. illegally, was processed. The remaining passengers were released and continued their journey on another bus.
Of course CBP seized more than 90,000 rounds of high-caliber ammunition leaving U.S. This is an issue @JoaquinCastrotx has been bringing attention to. Weapons of war continue to flood Latin America from the United States.https://t.co/CZDoGqmEfO
— Arturo Dominguez (@ExtremeArturo) August 21, 2024
Maintaining Vigilance
CBP officers consistently perform outbound inspections as part of their expansive enforcement portfolio, targeting all potential threats to enforce laws on the international border and ensure community safety. CBP El Paso port officials affirmed the critical importance of these operations in preventing ammunition and other contraband from reaching transnational criminal organizations.
“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.
This operation reflects the ongoing commitment of CBP officers in addressing export violations while upholding community safety. Although the primary mission of CBP is the inspection of inbound goods and people, the organization also conducts outbound inspections which, as proven by this seizure, play an essential role in tackling illegal activities and ensuring security on both sides of the border.
