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CBP seizes almost 3000 rounds of ammunition
U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized almost 3,000 rounds of ammunition, several ammunition clips and arrested a Matamoros man, authorities said.Julio Salazar Galan, 19, was arrested Wednesday noon at the B&M International Bridge after CBP officers found the 2,880 rounds of ammunition and six ammunition clips for assault rifles hidden in the spare tire of his vehicle, said a criminal complaint filed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was charged with importation of ammunition without proper documentation. On Thursday morning, Salazar went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Morgan who ordered he be held without bond until a detention hearing next week and remanded him to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. The seizure took place when Salazar drove a 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer on the southbound lane of the bridge by CBP officers at a checkpoint, who referred him to a secondary inspection area, said a CBP press release. Inside the spare tire of the SUV, CBP officers discovered 18 plastic bags containing the ammunition. In total, CBP seized 13 armor piercing rounds, 650 rounds of M-30 caliber ammunition, 1,827 rounds of .223 caliber ammunition and 390 rounds of 9mm ammunition, the release said. Officers also recovered five ammunition clips for .223 caliber rounds and one clip for 7.62mm rounds. Once in custody, Galan told special agents with ICE that on March 15 he had been approached at a bus stop in Brownsville by an unidentified man who asked him if he wanted to make some quick money by taking "tiros" into Mexico, records show. On Wednesday, Salazar met with the man who took him to an undisclosed location where they loaded the tire under the SUV. Salazar was supposed to cross the bridge and wait for some men to flag him down on the other side where he would turn over the tire and get paid $500, ICE said. Posted by: Fred 2010-03-28 |
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