Two Mexican nationals in the U.S. on nonimmigrant visas were arrested last month in Colorado after authorities discovered they were transporting 180,000 rounds of ammunition, federal officials announced Wednesday. Caesar Ramon Martinez Solis, 41, and Humberto Ivan Amador Gavira, 24, both from Mexico, were stopped by law enforcement in Cañon City on March 26, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.
An arrest affidavit obtained by the Cañon City Daily Record stated that two Fremont County detectives pulled over a white Chevrolet van after it failed to dim its headlights when passing, did not signal while turning into a gas station, and had a faulty license plate light, Fox News reported, noting that Department of Homeland Security agents were immediately notified and brought onto the case. “During the traffic stop, the detectives discovered approximately 150 boxes of .308 ammunition and approximately 30 boxes of 7.62 ammunition, officials said. Each box was labeled as containing 1,000 rounds,” the outlet reported.
According to the affidavit, Martinez Solis agreed to speak with special agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and waived his right to an attorney. He told authorities that he and Amador Gavira—whom he identified as his brother-in-law—had traveled from Mexico to Denver the previous day to purchase a vehicle, and then continued on to Salt Lake City to look at another car he was interested in buying. While in Salt Lake City, the two men stopped at a firearms and ammunition store, where Amador Gavira purchased the ammunition, the affidavit stated.
“[Martinez Solis] further explained that he did not know the intent with the ammunition but that he believed it was destined for Pueblo,” the affidavit stated. Pueblo is a city in Colorado located about 113 miles south of Denver. Martinez Solis stated that the intended destination was stored on Amador Gavira’s phone, according to the affidavit, though authorities did not disclose where the men were headed. Both Martinez Solis and Amador Gavira have been charged with Unlawful Possession of Ammunition by an Alien Admitted Under a Nonimmigrant Visa.
The case is being investigated by the Denver Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations and the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Denver Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Fox noted further that officials said the case is part of Operation Take Back America, a federal initiative designed “to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations.”