Father and son charged with attempting to smuggle 300 guns to Mexico

A Mexican father and son living in Alabama have been charged with attempting to smuggle more than 300 rifles and pistols into Mexico, according to prosecutors.

The arrests took place in Laredo, Texas on Thursday, when the suspects, identified as 48-year-old Mexican citizen Emilio Ramirez Cortes, a legal U.S. resident, and his son, Edgar Emilio Ramirez Diaz, arrived at the Juarez-Lincoln Port of Entry in separate vehicles, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

According to the complaint, Ramirez Diaz was driving a Chevrolet Tahoe with Alabama plates, followed by his father in a Chevrolet Silverado with Mexican plates. Each was hauling an enclosed white box trailer that contained hidden compartments.

Agents discovered false walls in both trailers that concealed well over 300 rifles and pistols, as well as various caliber ammunition and magazines. Court records allege the men were smuggling the weapons in exchange for payment and had done so on multiple occasions.

“Disrupting the illegal flow of weapons into Mexico is a key part of our whole-of-government approach to dismantling the cartels,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said.

The investigation was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Customs and Border Protection. Both men are being held in custody pending a detention hearing on Friday.