Category: Ammunition

11,000 Rounds of 7.62×39 Seized at Mexican Border

Ammoland Inc. Posted on  by 
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2024/11/11000-rounds-of-7-62x39-seized-at-mexican-border; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:
11,100 rounds of 7.62×39 ammunition seized by CBP agents in El Paso on November 5, 2024. Image from CBP

A Mexican man was arrested trying to smuggle 11,100 rounds of 7.62×39 into the United States from Mexico.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working at the El Paso port of entry stopped a 2011 Honda Ridgeline driven by a 32-year-old Mexican national as it crossed the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) international crossing. At the primary screening checkpoint, CBP officers decided to direct the Honda Ridgeline to a secondary screening station, where officers ran the SUV through a low-energy portal scan. It identified possible anomalies hidden in the Mexican vehicle. Last year, the machine was put into service to help identify vehicles trying to smuggle contraband into the country over the Bota international crossing.

After the system showed possible anomalies, a CBP currency and firearms detection canine searched the vehicle and alerted agents to possible hidden contraband. After CBP agents saw a trained detection dog detect something in the vehicle, the CBP officers ran the SUV through a Z-Portal X-ray scanner. A scan showed something hidden in the quarter panel of the Honda Ridgeline.

Usually, the contraband being smuggled into the country from Mexico is drugs, but this time, the Mexican man was not smuggling any illicit substances. The officers would tear apart the vehicle, where they would recover multiple bags containing 11,100 loose 7.62×39 rounds. These rounds are used in such firearms as AK-pattern rifles. Recovering this amount of ammo being smuggled into the country is highly unusual.

“The volume of this seizure is substantial,” said CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector Mancha. “To put this in perspective, CBP officers working in the El Paso area ports seized 15,678 rounds of ammunition in all of fiscal year 2021, 7,224 rounds in fiscal year 2022, and 11,205 rounds in fiscal year 2023.”

The flow of drugs usually runs from Mexico into the United States across the Southern Border. Ammunition, cash, and firearms generally flow south from the United States into Mexico. Last August, CBP officers working the same crossing seized 93,000 rounds of ammunition being smuggled into Mexico for drug cartels to terrorize the United States’ southern neighbor.

CBP officials are withholding the arrested man’s identity and information about who he was working for at this time. However, many assume his employer was one of the many Mexican-based drug cartels. The man was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and will be federally prosecuted for smuggling goods into the United States.

President-elect Trump has promised to fix the border and crack down on smuggling. One of the ideas being floated by the Trump transition team is to designate Mexican drug cartels as narco-terrorist organizations. The change in designation would take the gloves off, allowing the United States to use military assets to fight back against the brutal cartels.

This week, President Trump appointed Tom Homan as the border czar for his administration.

Mr. Homan is the former Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is a hardliner regarding border security. He believes the southern border is too open and pushes for a zero-tolerance policy for illegal crossings. He rose to fame after a legendary exchange with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) over separating families caught trying to enter the country illegally.

Whether President Trump’s changes will make a difference remains to be seen, but until Trump takes office, many expected border crossings to spike.

About John Crump

Mr. Crump is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons, follow him on X at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.

John Crump

NYC: Suspected jihadi caught near airport with a dozen weapons and 179 rounds of ammunition

By

SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2024/06/nyc-suspected-jihadi-caught-near-airport-with-a-dozen-weapons-and-179-rounds-of-ammunition; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

No, I'm not an “insurrectionist,” so relax. Nothing to see here.

“Suspected NYC jihadist was caught near major airports as new details of averted ‘disaster’ are revealed,” by Khristina Narizhnaya and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, New York Post, June 13, 2024:

The suspected Queen's jihadist, busted with an arsenal of weapons in his SUV, was ordered held without bail on Thursday — as disturbing new details of the case emerged in court.

Judd Sanson, 29, was just blocks from La Guardia International Airport when he was stopped by alert cops early Wednesday — and nervously reached under the seat of his SUV during the first few tense moments of the encounter with the officers, prosecutors revealed.

They later found a loaded 9mm Glock pistol under the driver’s seat.

“Sorry, there is a lot of drunk people nowadays,” Sanson allegedly told the cops after they stopped him for having obscured license plates on the vehicle. “I live in Jamaica. I was visiting my uncle.”

But police had already spotted a knife strapped to Sanson’s leg, along with an MTA reflective vest and “a makeshift axe hanging from the ceiling” and a “makeshift sword” inside the vehicle, Queens Assistant District Attorney Dylan Nesturrick said in Queens Criminal Court.

In all, prosecutors said nearly a dozen weapons, an NYPD bulletproof vest and 179 rounds of ammunition were found inside the black Ford Explorer.

He also said investigators found a “disturbing photo” on Sanson’s Facebook page, but did not elaborate.

“This car stop averted what could have been a disaster for the citizens of Queens, New York City and potentially even the country,” Nesturrick said….

“It is concerning that he was a few blocks away from the airport,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said after the arraignment. “You got to ask about the intent.”

Sanson was arrested around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday and was questioned at the 110th Precinct stationhouse until he was led out in handcuffs earlier on Thursday for his date in court.

He smiled as he was peppered with questions by reporters — and broke into a wide grin when one asked if he had purchased his weapons arsenal on Amazon….