EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – A federal judge has denied bond to a man who came into the United States with a tourist visa and allegedly was transporting to Mexico almost 14,000 rounds of ammunition for AK-47 rifles.
Luis Carlos Martinez Monge, a citizen of Mexico, is a flight risk and will remain incarcerated pending trial in connection with his Aug. 14 arrest on Interstate 25 in Las Cruces, New Mexico, the judge ruled.
Martinez was driving a 2007 Dodge Caravan at high speed when Las Cruces police stopped him for speeding. Martinez’s hand was shaking when he handed the police officer his B1/B2 border crossing visa and a driver’s license from Chihuahua, Mexico, court records show.
The officer reported Martinez’s breathing became shallow as he answered routine questions; he allegedly became evasive when asked if he had something to declare. At that point, the officer decided to ask permission to search the Dodge van.
Martinez allegedly consented to the search and the officer found boxes of ammunition concealed underneath the seats and in a makeshift compartment on the floorboards, court records show.
The officer called Homeland Security Investigations and took Martinez to a police station for further questioning.
Records show Martinez agreed to answer questions from HSI and told the agents he entered the United States to pick up ammunition in Albuquerque, N.M., at the request of an unnamed party in Chihuahua, Mexico.
Martinez allegedly told agents he was paid $1,600 up-front for expenses and would be paid $200 for every box of 7.62 x 39 bullets he delivered to the unnamed party in Mexico. That type of ammo is typically used in AK-47 rifles, which in Mexico have been associated with numerous drug cartel shootings.
Martinez said he knew it’s unlawful for him as a foreign national not authorized to reside in the U.S. to possess the ammunition and that he personally loaded the boxes in the Dodge Caravan, court records show.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico has charged Martinez with being an alien in possession of ammunition. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
The El Paso office of HSI investigated this case with assistance from Las Cruces Metro Narcotics and the FBI’s’ Albuquerque Field Office.
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