Smuggler busted at Texas border with ammo disguised as dog biscuits, feds say
A Mexican man has admitted to an unusual plot to get ammunition out of the United States and into Mexico, according to federal prosecutors in Texas.
The smuggler — 25-year-old Esteban Ramirez-Torres — was caught with the gun supplies on Nov. 15, 2019, when he tried to leave Texas and enter Mexico at the Hidalgo Port of Entry Checkpoint, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced Friday.
The ammo was cleverly concealed: Inspectors discovered a stockpile of “4,000 rounds of 7.62x39mm caliber ammunition and 30 AK-47 style rifle magazines hidden amongst ... dog food and boxes of biscuits,” prosecutors said.
According to a criminal complaint filed in November, Ramirez-Torres had “appeared nervous” at the border checkpoint and his “hands were shaking” as he tried to get out his identification for U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
Ramirez-Torres was asked if he had weapons or ammunition and said no, according to the complaint, explaining to officers that he was in the U.S. because “he was shopping at Walmart and was headed back to Reynosa.”
After he was busted, Ramirez-Torres admitted to knowingly trying to illegally smuggle the ammunition into Mexico — and he also admitted that he bought the dog food (as well as tape and staples to keep the boxes shut) at a Walmart before trying to cross into Mexico, according to prosecutors. A receipt for that purchase was found in his wallet, the complaint said.
Ammo was also found hidden in the side wall of the trunk of the vehicle he was driving and near a ripped-out cushion in the back seat, the complaint said.
Prosecutors said the dog biscuit boxes had “black tape at the bottom along with bags of dog food that had been stapled shut.”
Ramirez-Torres’ guilty plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Randy Crane, who scheduled his sentencing for April 14.
Prosecutors said “he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine. He has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Smuggler busted at Texas border with ammo disguised as dog biscuits, feds say."
