On Thursday, a major smuggling bust occurred at the United States' southern border, near Laredo, Texas. The haul was guns; a lot of guns, being smuggled in a modified trailer by a father-and-son duo. As we might expect, the guns were headed south.
ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents in Laredo, Texas, arrested a father and son accused of smuggling hundreds of firearms, including rifles, magazines and ammunition into Mexico after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered hidden compartments in two trailers at the U.S.-Mexico border.
On Oct. 23, CBP officers working at the Laredo Bridge 2 Port of Entry stopped two southbound vehicles towing box trailers for inspection.
Agents said they noticed irregularities in the trailer walls.
"Irregularities" refers to the presence of false walls. The guns were hidden within.
A secondary inspection revealed false compartments packed with an arsenal: roughly 400 firearms of various calibers, high-capacity magazines and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
HSI officials said the guns were headed into Mexico, where cartels fuel ongoing violence.
Here's the head-scratcher: A photo in the linked article shows the confiscated guns, all laid out on a row of tables. But there's something slightly odd about them.
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In short, these aren't the kinds of guns one would expect to find in the hands of the cartels. Granted, you can't make out the make and models of the guns farther from the camera, but the ones that we can identify aren't the typical guns used in gang warfare. There don't appear to be any handguns in the catch. Several of the guns closest to the camera are unmodified Ruger 10-22 rifles; these are .22 rimfire rifles, and they are great little pieces, reliable, accurate, and easy to maintain. They're also typically used for plinking and hunting squirrels and rabbits.
Farther back in the row, you can make out what appear to be a few long-barreled, pump-action or semi-auto shotguns, again, more typically used for hunting than crime. Now, the barrel can be (illegally) cut down on one of these to make for something very dangerous and short range, but the ones we can see look unmodified.
It's a bit curious. No list of the guns was released by ICE-HSI or the Border Patrol, nor is there any compelling reason that there should be such a list released. But what we can see of the guns makes it look more like these guys were smuggling weapons suited for taking rabbits and birds for the pot.
Now, that doesn't make what they were doing any less illegal. What's more, the father and son have an interesting background.
The drivers were identified as Emilio Ramirez-Cortez, a lawful permanent resident, and his son Edgar Ramirez-Diaz, a U.S. citizen. Both were arrested on charges of federal firearms smuggling and turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service pending an initial court appearance.
It's a safe bet the younger man was an anchor baby, although we have no way of knowing that for certain. In any case, both were in the country legally under United States Law, so they will no doubt be indicted and tried accordingly, right here in the United States.
Meanwhile, the Border Patrol and ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents involved have earned their pay for the week - or will have, if the Senate Democrats will get off their fourth points of contact and let the government reopen.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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