A father and son pled guilty to attempting to smuggle hundreds of weapons and a cache of ammunition into Mexico, according to a new report.
The men, Emilio Ramirez Cortes and Edgar Emilio Ramirez Diaz of Alabama, agreed to the charges after being apprehended while attempting to transport over 500 weapons and over 31,000 rounds of ammo, according to Border Report.
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They attempted to cross the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge in different vehicles, which led to the incident. Both were hauling utility trailers with artificial walls concealing the weapons behind them.
Overall, the authorities discovered 534 firearms, 31,482 rounds of ammunition, 535 magazines, 40 scopes, four lasers, and ten rifle slings. The men also admitted to smuggling such products in the past. They now face up to 25 years in prison, with 15 for trafficking and 10 for smuggling items from the United States. The crimes may possibly result in a $250,000 fine each.
There is abundant evidence about the flow of weapons bought legally in the U.S. to Mexico. The latter’s Defense Secretariat announced in July of this year that it had discovered 11 gun smuggling routes from the United States to Mexico.
According to the report, the institution was able to identify the routes through cooperation with the General Prosecutor’s Office, and the majority of them are utilized by criminal organizations. Authorities seized about 6,000 weapons in total between November 2024 and May of this year.
According to the document, Texas accounts for 43% of all weapons seized. A further 22% are from Arizona, with 9% from California.
According to Mexico’s Security Minister Omar García Harfuch, 75% of the firearms collected between February and May came from the United States, which was also acknowledged by US officials.
In early June, the US Supreme Court blocked a $10 billion lawsuit launched by Mexico against US manufacturers for allegedly fueling cartel violence in the country through their commercial activities. Mexico, in reality, has only one outlet where individuals can lawfully purchase firearms.
