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(NewsNation) — Two men look national smuggling charges aft they were recovered to beryllium carrying astir 400 weapons wrong tractor-trailers that federal migration officials stopped connected a span headed for Mexico, Department of Homeland Security sources confirmed.
Emilio Ramirez-Cortez, a lawful U.S. imperishable resident, and his son, Edgar Ramirez-Diaz, a U.S. citizen, were arrested past week aft Customs and Border Protection officers recovered the weapons during an inspection of the vehicles successful Laredo, Texas.
NewsNation sources said an inspection of the vehicles led to agents discovering the firearms of assorted calibers and thousands of rounds of ammunition wrong hidden compartments successful the vehicles.
Customs and Border Protection agents seized astir 400 weapons recovered wrong vehicles driven by a begetter and son. (Department of Homeland Security)Agents noticed what they characterized arsenic irregular panels connected the vehicles, which led agents to analyse further. Sources said that the weapons, which included high-powered rifles, were bound for Mexico, wherever they could beryllium utilized by transgression cause cartels.
Chris Clem, a retired U.S. Border Patrol assemblage chief, told NewsNation that the weapons and ammunition were apt portion of a woody for drugs oregon currency that were moving into the United States from Mexico.
"Those weapons are not going to beryllium utilized for self-defense," Clem said. "They're going to beryllium utilized for cartels for transgression actions against citizens successful Mexico and oregon U.S. national instrumentality enforcement."
Both men appeared successful tribunal Monday and NewsNation is awaiting details of the hearing. The begetter and lad stay successful the custody of U.S. Marshals, and the probe into the incidental remains ongoing to find if anyone other whitethorn person been involved.
Art Del Cueto, a borderline advisor for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, told NewsNation that helium has been acrophobic with operations that nonstop weapons and different goods to Mexico. Del Cueto said that helium believes currency is often being moved to Mexico to assistance transnational transgression organizations.
He said the seizure of specified a ample fig of weapons is simply a motion that cartels stay a large contented for U.S. agencies moving on the confederate border. Del Cueto said the information that weapons were progressive suggests that the guns and ammunition were headed to Mexico were a payoff for thing that was moved from Mexico into the United States.
But helium said that the cartels were astir surely the destination. The transgression organizations, helium said, not lone stay progressive but are astatine warfare with different cartels successful the ongoing combat for territory successful Mexico.
"They're trying to limb their army, I conjecture you could say," Del Cueto told NewsNation.
