A Brownsville man is behind bars after customs officers working at an international bridge learned that he was a fugitive in an ATF gun case.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers told Action 4 News that Ismael Padilla, Jr. crossed the B&M International Bridge in Brownsville early Wednesday morning.

Customs officers said that a routine background revealed Padilla was wanted in a criminal case filed by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).

Federal officials said Padilla was wanted in a “straw purchasing” case where he allegedly lied on a federal form while buying a gun.

Most straw purchasing cases in the Rio Grande Valley are made on the behalf of gun smugglers who ship the weapons into the hands of Mexican drug cartels south of the border.

Padilla remains in custody at the Cameron County Jail where he awaits his initial appearance in federal court.