Posted on 08/10/2006 9:09:23 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
McALLEN, Texas -- A 42-year-old Mexican woman is accused of trying to smuggle 13,000 rounds of ammunition into Mexico, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Balbina Morales-Oscoy, of Posa Rica, Veracruz, was arrested at the Pharr international bridge Aug. 4 after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers said they found 19 boxes of .22-caliber ammunition and about 2,500 rounds of .38 Super ammunition concealed in soft drink boxes in the vehicle she was driving.
She was charged with conspiracy to export defense articles, a felony.
A federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation began Aug. 2, after ICE agents received information from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives regarding a vehicle with Mexican plates suspected of being used to export ammunition.
ICE agents said they watched Morales-Oscoy as she drove to various locations and bought ammunition and groceries, then stopped at a residence and unloaded and reloaded groceries into a minivan.
CBP officers at the international bridge found the ammunition and detained her. She has been in federal custody pending a detention hearing Thursday.
If convicted, she faces up to five years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.
That's Mexico. They can do whatever they want. She was arrested on US soil per our laws................
Maybe in the communist pesthole you live in. We don't have FOIDs here in Texas and I will break that law with impunity if it ever comes around.
part of the papers you have to have for the goose stepping goons in the blue states (Halt show papers!) We don't have that foolishness in the south.
Ah, thank you - I was curious. It's a nice caliber, actually, low recoil in the 1911 frame and flat-shooting. Big IPSC caliber because you can make major with it and the muzzle stays on target. My brother built one for me and the dang thing sounds like a cannon. Sweet shooter...
You missed the point of the question. Perhaps a better way would be to ask it this way.
"Why is exporting ammunition against the law?"
And thank you too. You learn all sorts of stuff on FR.
Nowhere in this article does this state that it was .22 cal. pistol or for that matter .22 cal rimfire LR ammunition. I thought it may be the .22 cal NATO round assault rifle ammo. .38 cal. pistol ammo is what it is.
PS - I have bought more ammo than that. Don't even know what a FOID card is.
Is there no identification necessary to purchase ammo in WV? Illinois has a FOID...Firearm Owners Identification card. Purchase of ammo without it is illegal, as is selling to someone without it.
FOID card???? in Texas???? RIGHT! LOL ;-0
"Why is this illegal?............
Well, first whomever sold the ammunition committed a felony by selling to an "un-documented" person. No FOID Card."
BZZZZT!
The "FOID Card" is an unconstitutional aberration only used in overtly socialist states, I really doubt it exist where this took place.
"Second, ammunition bought without a FOID is a crime."
BZZZT!
Same as above, buying ammo without a FOID card is perfectly legal in most of the U.S., and no ID is required, only being over 18 years of age for long gun ammo, or 21 for hand gun ammo.
"Third, transporting across international boundries without declaration, (see smuggling) is always a crime...especially when gunpowder is involved."
DING DING!
You got that one right!
Mexico has the sort of gun control that is the liberals wet dream, and with their most recent election "in dispute" I strongly suspect that this was an effort to supply the communist side with more firepower.
"Finally, does anyone not believe this was intended to re-supply drug cartel muscle? Please."
ME! Druggies would have better means of obtaining ammo, and in more effective calibers.
"I'm sure others can come up with about four or five more crimes committed here."
Violations of the U.S. Arms and Munitions export acts, and Mexican arms import acts.
"Good on our border security....Way to go guys!"
Nice to see BATFE actually doing their legitimate job for a change, instead of creating cases against Americans, of burning down a church full of children.
What a dumb broad. If she had been taking suitcases full of data on our advanced military systems to our friends in China she would have been a successful corporate leader.
.22 and .38 Super (think of it as 9mm Magnum, almost like .357 Mag. without a rim) are the most common calibers of arms in Mexican civilian hands.
The .38 Super is used in a variation of the Colt 1911 pistol.
This must be another one of those jobs that Americans won't do?
I've also seen the .38 Super in a Taurus and European Sig 220. Smith also made a moonclip revolver chambered for it in small quanitities. The 1911 variation is most common as you said.
Just sold a nice Llama "Especial" (1911 clone) in .38 Super a couple of days ago.
Because their laws once prohibited owning firearms or ammunition of military caliber, hence the need for something other than 9mm/.45/5.56 which were reserved for government only.
Ruger even made a small run of Mini-14s in .222 Remington caliber to test the export market. Colt made several 1911 models in .38 super with names like "el Toro" etc.
FOID card? WTF is an FOID card? I've never had to show any kind of ID at all to buy ammo. Teen-agers can buy .22 ammo. What dictatorial tyranny do you live in?
If you buy ammo with a credit card or debit card, you actually are supplying more info to the government than I am paying cash.
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