Federal officers seized more than 8,300 rounds of live ammunition and 17 firearms over a two-day period at border crossings this week.
At the Hidalgo International Bridge on Tuesday, officers seized six assault rifles, a handgun and 21 ammunition magazines hidden inside a pickup truck that was being driven out of the country. The 23-year-old driver, a U.S. citizen from McAllen, was held for further investigation.
The same day, eight assault rifles, two handguns, 87 ammo magazines and 1,574 rounds of live ammo were found in an outgoing sport utility vehicle. A 29-year-old U.S. citizen living in Reynosa, Mexico, was held.
On Wednesday, officers at the Brownsville Port of Entry stopped an outbound sedan and discovered 6,825 rounds of machine gun ammo hidden in the dash. A 38-year-old U.S. citizen from Brownsville was held.
