Assault rifles bound for Mexico seized in Yuma


Oct 11, 2012 6:44 PM CDTBy Phil Benson - email

SAN LUIS, AZ (CBS5) -A Yuma man was arrested Thursday morning on charges of attempting to smuggle assault weapons out of the U.S.

Ramon Avitia, 18, was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.
Avitia was instructed by Customs and Border Protection officers and Border Patrol agents conducting outbound operations at the Port of San Luis to pull over for a secondary inspection of the Jeep SUV he was driving.

The teen was taken into custody after authorities discovered two AK-47 assault rifles and four ammunition magazines inside the vehicle. The rifles were hidden under the rear bench seat and the magazines were concealed in the center console.
The vehicle, weapons and magazines were seized.

The Port of San Luis is located at Highway 95 and the International Border in San Luis, AZ.

Assault rifles bound for Mexico seized in Yuma - CBS 5 - KPHO