Open Alcohol Violation On Interstate Leads To Federal Charges Against 3 Alleged Weapons Traffickers

An open alcohol container violation on Interstate 10 in Arizona has led to three people being accused of weapon charges.

A grand jury placed federal charges on Francisco Bell, Ismael Higuera Avalos and Eziquio Chavez over illegally buying high-caliber rifles under false premises at a gun show in Tucson, according to the Border Report.

This incident was one of the three cases related to firearms and ammunition trafficking brought before the federal courts in Arizona last week.

Tucson police officers stopped a Jeep Gladiator for speeding on Interstate 10 on Aug. 4 and noticed an open alcohol container in the cupholder. When they searched the vehicle, the officers found 16 AK-47s, an AR-16 style rifle, three other guns and $12,000, according to court records.

Bell, Chavez, and Higuera were scheduled for arraignment on Sept. 20 in Tucson.

During an interview with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents, Bell reportedly admitted that he didn't buy the firearms for himself, even though he had initially claimed he did so on a firearms transaction form.

He said Higuera provided the money for the purchase and allowed the agents to search his phone. According to court records, they found messages from Chavez instructing Bell on which dealers to buy from and how much to pay.

Chavez told the authorities that he didn't know why his friends were buying so many firearms and mentioned that he was "on probation and not allowed around guns," the Border Report mentioned. He admitted that his fingerprints "might be" on a gun Bell handed him to put in the back seat.

Chavez also said he got nervous and tried to hide the $8,000 he had in his pockets under the seat, according to court records. A fourth passenger in the Jeep, whom Bell claimed had "coordinated the whole plan," was not charged.

In another case, four men were indicted Wednesday for making false statements, aiding and weapons trafficking.

Richard Anthony Defour, Rolando Hernandez, Daniel Pina and Mark Anthony Molina were accused of fraudulently purchasing 11 AK-47-style rifles from two dealers and a pawn shop in Arizona.

The charges, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, claimed the men made false statements to obtain the rifles, but the details of the alleged trafficking scheme were not revealed.

In a separate case, a Mexican resident has been charged with the attempted illegal export of 1,582 rounds of .50-caliber bullets and other assorted firearms supplies. The bust happened at the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona.