Two Men Charged After Trying To Smuggle High Caliber Rifles Into Mexico From California

Two men have been charged by a federal grand jury after allegedly attempting to smuggle five high-caliber sniper rifles into Mexico.

The incident took place on March 12 when Oscar Sanchez Gonzalez and Arturo Martinez Aguilar were seeking to cross to Mexico through the Calexico West port of entry.

The men were spotted by a Border Patrol intelligence unit that was conducting surveillance in the area. They saw two cars driving together, their drivers then stepping out and transferring "multiple bulky item" from one car to the other. Then they drove off in different directions.

Agents followed the car that had received the items as it headed toward Mexico and called on CBP officers to stop it before it could cross the borders. Agents then asked the driver if he had anything to declare, and when he said no the agents searched the vehicle and found the rifles.

The development comes shortly after CBP agents arrested an Arizona teenager who was seen on surveillance cameras trying to slip guns and knives through the border wall.

Agents from the Nogales Border Patrol station responded to the incident after the teen was seen approaching the wall and trying to force a large duffel bag through cracks on the border wall at around 1:45 a.m. on April 4.

According to Border Report, agents arrested the teen and recovered the bag, which contained an AR-style rifle, a pistol, two knives and multiple ammunition magazines.

Gun smuggling continues to be a major problem for Mexico and the United States. According to a 2025 report by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), almost three in four firearms used by Mexican cartels (74%) are trafficked illegally from the United States, primarily from Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas.

Northern Mexican states like Sonora, Baja California, Chihuahua, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas are the main destinations for these firearms. Guanajuato, in central Mexico, has also emerged as a hotspot for cartel-related violence, fueled in part by this illegal trade. Among the key trafficking routes, the Arizona-to-Sonora corridor stands out, as reported by El País México.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case brought by the Mexican government seeking to hold American gun manufacturers liable for firearms trafficked into Mexico and used by drug cartels. The lawsuit challenges the broad legal protections historically afforded to gunmakers under U.S. law.

Mexico contends that American firearms manufacturers knowingly facilitate gun trafficking by designing, marketing, and distributing weapons that appeal to criminal organizations. The government, led by president Claudia Sheinbaum, claims that companies such as Smith & Wesson, Beretta USA, Glock, and Colt's Manufacturing Co. have ignored evidence that their products are frequently smuggled into Mexico.