Father, Son Arrested With Hundreds of Guns in Laredo

Federal agents led by Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection arrested 48-year-old Emilio Ramirez Cortes and his son, Edgar Emilio Ramirez Diaz, after stopping two southbound vehicles towing white box trailers at the Juarez-Lincoln/Gateway ports of entry in Laredo. Officers, alerted by a canine and by irregularities in trailer walls, found hidden compartments and false walls concealing roughly 300 to 400 rifles and pistols, high-capacity magazines and thousands of rounds of ammunition bound for Mexico. The pair are charged in federal court with smuggling and firearms-trafficking offenses and remain in custody pending a detention hearing set for Oct. 31. The investigation was led by HSI and CBP with involvement from ICE, the ATF and the Department of Justice and is being prosecuted as part of Operation Take Back America. Officials including Pamela Bondi and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ron Johnson called the seizure a significant disruption to cartel weapons flows, and authorities say additional arrests are possible as they trace the weapons' source and destination.