Grand jury indicts a Mexican citizen for possession, smuggling a firearm and ammunition into Mexico following an HSI Del Rio, federal partner investigation

EAGLE PASS, Texas — A federal grand jury in Del Rio returned an indictment last week charging a Mexican national with possessing a firearm and smuggling goods from the United States. Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Dallas Division and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

According to court documents, on Dec. 4, Customs and Border Protection officers encountered Santos Lozano-Martinez, 36, at the Camino Real International Bridge II in Eagle Pass. Investigators discovered a firearm and ammunition during an inspection of Lozano-Martinez’s vehicle. The indictment accuses him of illegally possessing and smuggling the following from the U.S. into Mexico: an Anderson AM-15 rifle, 20 rounds of 30.06 caliber Winchester ammunition, 50 rounds of .45 caliber Winchester ammunition and 131 rounds of .223 caliber Remington ammunition.

Lozano-Martinez is charged with one count of smuggling goods from the U.S. and one count of being a noncitizen in possession of a firearm. He is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Dec. 29 before a federal judge.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the count of smuggling goods from the U.S. and up to 15 years of imprisonment for being a noncitizen in possession of a firearm.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Bird and Alex Brown of the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case.

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HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 6,800 special agents assigned to 225 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.