Two Mexican nationals were caught with 180,000 illegal rounds of ammunition during a routine traffic stop in Colorado, according to federal prosecutors.
Caesar Ramon Martinez Solis, 41, and Humberto Ivan Amador Gavira, 24, were pulled over late last month in Canon City—about 35 miles southwest of Colorado Springs—for failing to dim their headlights and neglecting to use a turn signal, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado reported.
Inside the van, officers discovered 180 boxes, each labeled to contain 1,000 rounds of ammunition—mostly .308 caliber, with 30 boxes of 7.62 rounds, officials said.
The men, both from Durango, Mexico, were in the U.S. on nonimmigrant visas, according to an affidavit obtained by the Canon City Daily Record.
After speaking through a translator, Solis—who was driving—waived his right to an attorney and agreed to speak with Homeland Security agents, the affidavit noted.
Solis told agents that he and Gavira, his brother-in-law, arrived in Denver from Mexico on March 25. They then drove to Salt Lake City, Utah, where they searched for a van to purchase.
According to Solis, Gavira later bought the ammunition at a firearms store in Utah. Solis added that he didn’t know the exact purpose of the ammo but believed it was meant for Pueblo, Colorado, though he wasn’t sure exactly where or why, the affidavit said.
Federal prosecutors charged both men with unlawful possession of ammunition while being in the U.S. on nonimmigrant visas.
They were taken to a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center.
Solis also received additional citations for driving an uninsured vehicle, transporting hazardous materials without a permit, using auxiliary lighting improperly, failing to dim headlights, operating without license plate lamps, and not using a turn signal.
Gavira was also cited for aiding in the transportation of hazardous materials.
Their arrest is part of Operation Take Back America — a national initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at stopping illegal immigration, dismantling drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting Americans from violent crime.
