Del Rio Man Sentenced for Smuggling More Than 10,000 Rounds of Ammunition into Mexico

DEL RIO, Texas – A Del Rio man was sentenced in a federal court in Del Rio last week to 57 months in prison with credit for time served for smuggling goods from the United States.

According to court documents, Hugo Medina, 40, was selected for an inspection in the outbound lane of the Del Rio Port of Entry on Sept. 24, 2020.  After he elected to not declare any weapons, ammunition or currency over $10,000, Customs and Border Protection officers located a black duffle bag containing small boxes in the trunk of Medina’s vehicle.  The officers confirmed that the boxes contained ammunition and took Medina into custody.  Following a vehicle inspection scan, officers seized a total of 10,498 rounds of ammunition.

“Transporting ammunition into Mexico is a serious offense,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas.  “Along with our law enforcement partners, my office is committed to stopping the supply of dangerous weapons across the border into Mexico.”

“The sentencing sends a clear message to individuals who facilitate the illegal sale and movement of ammunition. Combatting ammunition smuggling is a top priority for Homeland Security Investigations,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee for Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Division.  “Through collaborative law enforcement with our federal, state and local partners, we aggressively investigate individuals involved in these activities to prevent the items from falling into the hands of transnational criminal organizations.”

Claudia Veronica Flores, who purchased the ammunition and arranged for it to be smuggled into Mexico, pleaded guilty on Aug. 15, 2022 to conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States in DR:21-CR-2145.  Her sentence hearing is currently scheduled for Dec. 4.

HSI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Izaak Bruce prosecuted the case.

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