Federal Grand Jury in El Paso Indicts Non-Immigrant Alien in Possession of 4,300 Rounds of Ammunition

United States Attorney Robert Pitman announced that a federal grand jury in El Paso this afternoon returned an indictment charging a non-immigrant alien with possession of 4,300 rounds of ammunition.

The indictment charges 38-year-old Fernando Paredes-Vega of Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, with one count of being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition and two counts of attempting to export ammunition from the United States.

On the evening of September 22, 2011, Customs and Border Protection Officers conducting Southbound inspections at the Stanton Port of Entry arrested Paredes after they discovered the ammunition, an assortment of various calibers, hidden inside his vehicle. Paredes entered the United States earlier that day with a laser border crosser VISA, which prohibits him from purchasing or possessing ammunition.

Upon conviction, the defendant faces up to 10 years in federal prison per count.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Greg McDonald is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.