2 Mexican Nationals Convicted of Attempting to Smuggle Rifle Magazines into Mexico
July 22nd 2012 · 10 Comments
Two Mexican nationals pleaded guilty Thursday to attempting to illegally smuggle 652 assault rifle magazines into Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. The investigation for this case is being led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Julio Cesar Flores-Martinez, 46, and Francisco Padilla-Perez, 41, both Mexican nationals, pleaded guilty July 19 before U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana.
According to court documents, on April 19, HSI obtained information that a person, believed to be a Mexican firearms buyer, was trying to obtain high-capacity AK-47 rifle magazines from the United States. Undercover special agents posed as firearm magazine suppliers and contacted the buyer, later identified as Padilla-Perez, who requested 650 high-capacity AK-47 rifle magazines. Padilla-Perez told the special agents he would pay $19,500 cash for the rifle magazines. He then instructed special agents to deliver the magazines to a Mexican truck driver from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, who would attempt to smuggle them into Mexico via one of the international bridges in Laredo, Texas. Flores-Martinez was the truck driver.
Padilla-Perez and the undercover special agents met with Flores-Martinez. Flores-Martinez received nine black suitcases containing 652 high capacity AK-47 rifle magazines and hid them in the cab of his truck while Padilla-Perez observed from nearby. After Flores-Martinez finished loading, Padilla-Perez then handed the special agents a white plastic bag containing $19,500 in cash.
Flores-Martinez drove to the World Trade Bridge where U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers recovered the 652 high-capacity rifle magazines. The magazines are made for 7.62x39mm ammunition and designed for use with AK-47-type assault rifles. Each magazine is designed to hold 30 rounds of the rifle ammunition.
Flores-Martinez and Padilla-Perez have been in custody since their arrest, where they will remain pending sentencing at a date to be determined in the near future. They each face sentences up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
A version of this column originally appeared in www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com.
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Tags: Ak 47 Rifle, Ammunition, Assault Rifle, Assault Rifles, Cesar Flores, Customs And Border Protection, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Francisco Padilla-Perez, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration And Customs Enforcement, International Bridges In Laredo Texas, Julio Cesar Flores-Martinez, Magidson, Mexican Nationals, Nationals, Nuevo Laredo Mexico, Padilla, Perez, Rifle Ammunition, Rifle Magazines, Security Investigations, Southern District Of Texas, truck, U S Customs And Border Protection, U S Customs And Border Protection Cbp, U S Immigration And Customs Enforcement, World Trade Bridge
By staff@hispanicallyspeakingnews.com
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too little too late,, now these two will live on our dime for as long as they are incarcerated,, Obama’s law for illegals won’t work for them.
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Gun control needs to start with Obama giving weapons to the Mexican cartel what is Obama hiding .
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Not hiding how stupid he is, that’s for sure.
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Tsk tsk tsk and this is the president that lectured the US about VIOLENCE and the gall to say, “…repeatedly called on Washington to tighten gun controls to stop weapons flowing from the United States into the hands of Mexican drug cartels, said U.S. weapons policy needed a rethink after the killings.”
Laughable at best. Why can’t he get his OWN country under contorl? Why can’t he keep illegals from crossing the border? Why can’t he keep drugs from bing smuggled from his country?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/21/us-usa-shooting-mexico-idUSBRE86K0IL20120721
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2 down several thousand to go…DO it until it is done! P.S….can I help?
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Hope they get the MAX!!
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Good job!! Don’t stop!! (they were just trying to return Holder’s stuff to him! lol)
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lock them up and throw away the keys, but make sure they are in a Mexican prison so we do not have to support them
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We need to take our country back and let the offenders spend some long hours of hard labor for breaking our laws , after all it’s a respect issue.
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Put them to working for free water building the fences.
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