AZMEX EXTRA 8-5-14

AZMEX EXTRA 8 MAY 2014


Man accused of trying to cross ammunition into Reynosa
Posted: Thursday, May 8, 2014 11:18 am
Ildefonso Ortiz | The Monitor
Posted on May 8, 2014by Ildefonso Ortiz

http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/man-accused-of-trying-to-cross-ammunition-into-reynosa/article_71a097fa-d6cc-11e3-b5ad-0017a43b2370.html

McALLEN — Federal authorities arrested a man accused of trying to cross thousands of ammunition rounds into Reynosa.

On Thursday morning, 26-year-old Ernesto Hernandez went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Ormsby who formally charged him with one count of exporting ammunition without a Department of State License.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested Hernandez Wednesday at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge after finding more than 5,700 ammunition rounds hidden inside a cat litter bucket and a furniture box in the bed of his pickup, court records show.

Once detained, Hernandez spoke with agents from Homeland Security Investigations about his trip to a San Antonio gun show to purchase the ammunition, hiding it in the vehicle and his attempt to take it into Reynosa, agents said in their criminal complaint.

In recent days, Reynosa has been the stage of daily firefights between warring factions of the Gulf Cartel, which have also clashed with Mexican authorities.

So far Tamaulipas officials have confirmed 17 dead including two bystanders and two federal police officers. Mexico's human rights commission sent a team to Reynosa to investigate the two bystanders that were killed by the crossfire, as well as various injured civilians including a junior high student who shot in the head while hiding inside her classroom.

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