A man was arrested in Del Rio for allegedly trying to smuggle guns into Mexico.
According to court documents cited in a press release by Homeland Security Investigations, on January 19, a 39-year-old man named Victor Hugo Diego-Avellaneda from Central Texas was trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry.
Diego-Avellaneda declared that he did not possess any weapons, ammunition, or currency. However, during a secondary inspection, officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection reportedly found two large duffel bags containing 40 rifles, six shotguns, one pistol, 80 magazines, and two rifle scopes.
Diego-Avellaneda reportedly stated that he was receiving approximately $100 per firearm he smuggled into Mexico, and admitted that 11 of the firearms were his own. He has been charged with one count of smuggling goods out of the U.S. and could potentially face up to 10 years in federal prison.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Garland and Katherine Gorski from the Western District of Texas.
