Feds Uncover Massive Weapons Cache: Father-Son Duo Charged in Major Smuggling Bust

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Two men are facing federal smuggling charges after being caught with nearly 400 firearms concealed inside tractor-trailers. Federal immigration officers intercepted the vehicles on a bridge en route to Mexico, according to sources from the Department of Homeland Security.

Emilio Ramirez-Cortez, a permanent resident of the United States, and his son, Edgar Ramirez-Diaz, an American citizen, were detained last week. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered the cache of weapons during a routine inspection of the trucks in Laredo, Texas.

The search revealed firearms of various calibers and thousands of rounds of ammunition stashed in hidden compartments within the vehicles, sources confirmed.

Customs and Border Protection agents seized nearly 400 weapons found inside vehicles driven by a father and son. (Department of Homeland Security)

Agents became suspicious after noticing unusual paneling on the trucks, prompting a more thorough examination. The weapons, including several high-powered rifles, were allegedly intended for delivery to Mexico, where they could potentially end up in the hands of criminal drug cartels.

Chris Clem, a former U.S. Border Patrol sector chief, commented that the seized firearms and ammunition were probably part of a larger transaction involving drugs or cash being smuggled into the United States from Mexico.

“Those weapons are not going to be used for self-defense,” Clem said. “They’re going to be used for cartels for criminal actions against citizens in Mexico and or U.S. federal law enforcement.”

Both men appeared in court Monday and is awaiting details of the hearing. The father and son remain in the custody of U.S. Marshals, and the investigation into the incident remains ongoing to determine if anyone else may have been involved.

Art Del Cueto, a border advisor for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, told that he has been concerned with operations that send weapons and other goods to Mexico. Del Cueto said that he believes cash is often being moved to Mexico to help transnational criminal organizations.

He said the seizure of such a large number of weapons is a sign that cartels remain a big issue for U.S. agencies working along the southern border. Del Cueto said the fact that weapons were involved suggests that the guns and ammunition were headed to Mexico were a payoff for something that was moved from Mexico into the United States.

But he said that the cartels were almost certainly the destination. The criminal organizations, he said, not only remain active but are at war with other cartels in the ongoing fight for territory in Mexico.

“They’re trying to arm their army, I guess you could say,” Del Cueto told .