Along with seizing drugs, border agents confiscate thousands of rounds of ammo

Sept. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Arizona captured more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition and 285 pounds of narcotics in a series of stops at the end of August.

The agents at the Port of San Luis area encountered a 22-year-old U.S. resident attempting to enter Mexico on Aug. 23. After being referred for a more extensive search, agents found 1,000 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition in 50 boxes hidden throughout his vehicle, a Nissan sedan.

That incident involving gun ammunition followed another one in El Paso in August, as well.

That's when border agents in El Paso set a record in seizing 92,000 rounds of large-caliber ammunition in one stop of a bus that attempted to leave Texas into Mexico.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection also reported that, during a different stop on the morning of Aug. 24, border officers in the Port of San Luis area stopped a 24-year-old U.S. resident driving a Ford sedan who was also recommended for an additional inspection.

A canine unit suggested that narcotics might be onboard. And, on further examination, officers found 95 packages within the doors and fuel tank panels. The discovery turned out to be 96 pounds of methamphetamine, five pounds of black-tar heroin, and one pound of fentanyl pills.

On Aug. 25, a Honda SUV, driven by a 32-year-old female, a U.S. resident, was targeted for an enhanced inspection. The secondary search found anomalies throughout the vehicle and a canine unit suggested that it contained narcotics.

Agents eventually found 80 packages weighing 85 pounds of methamphetamine in the fuel tank, spare tire, and firewall of the vehicle.

Another incident on Aug. 26 involved a Chevrolet pickup truck driven by a 51-year-old Mexican national, which was referred to for additional examination.

After using non-intrusive technology to discover anomalies in the vehicle, agents found 98 pounds of fentanyl inside 40 packages hidden in the firewall, rear cab wall, and tailgate.

"These outbound and inbound enforcement actions highlight CBP's commitment to safeguarding our border communities and overall border security mission," said Chris Leon, area port director for San Luis, in a statement.

"Amazing work, done by our amazing CBP office and K-9 teams to thwart these smuggling attempts by transnational criminal organizations."