EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A 32-year-old U.S. citizen recently pleaded guilty in reference to smuggling ammunition from the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The DOJ says that Jesus Alberto Olivarez admitted to attempting “to export 5,680 rounds of assorted pistol ammunition.”
Olivarez drove his black PT Cruiser to the Lincoln Juarez International Bridge in Laredo, Texas on Feb. 27. The DOJ says Olivarez was on his way home to Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Authorities noted one of the vehicle’s doors rattled as if something was hidden inside and “seemed unusually heavy.”
After a search, all four of the vehicle’s door panels had a total of “5,680 live rounds of pistol ammunition in assorted calibers – 3,600 rounds of .40 caliber S&W, 900 rounds of .380 caliber, 900 rounds of .45 caliber, 100 rounds of 9-millimeter and 180 rounds of .38 SPL +P ammunition,” according to the DOJ.
Officials say Olivarez admitted that he had received the ammunition earlier that day and agreed to smuggle it into Mexico, saying that he “personally hid the ammunition throughout the vehicle’s door and rear panels.”
The DOJ says sentencing will be set for Aug. 9 and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 maximum fine. Olivarez has been in custody and will continue to be in custody pending the sentencing hearing.
