A Brownsville man is behind bars after he allegedly tried to smuggle almost 2,000 rounds of ammunition into Mexico.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested Mario Salinas on Tuesday.
The 41-year-old man attempted to drive into Mexico at the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville in a red Ford F-150.
Salinas was stopped for an outbound inspection where customs officers allegedly found 1,947 rounds of 5.56 caliber ammunition hidden inside two boxes of laundry detergent in the bed of his pickup truck.
The Brownsville man remains in custody where he faces federal smuggling charges.
The Obama administration has pledged to work with Mexico to curb gun and ammunition smuggling into Mexico where high demand from drug cartels and gangs have made the illegal trade very lucrative.
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