NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security held a press conference on Friday at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, about the trafficking of firearms into Mexico.
Seized firearms and ammunition were placed on tables at the press conference. Guadalupe Ramirez, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Director of Field Operations for the Tucson Field Office, said the weapons on display were headed into Mexico for one reason.
“That is for a deadly terrorist organization to maintain their territorial control,” he said.
Timothy Courchaine, who was recently appointed Interim United States Attorney for the District of Arizona, said, "Those guns, especially, secure the foreign terrorist organization's power, their money and their drugs."
After President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January, the Department of State classified eight cartels and organizations as foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists in February.
The groups include:
- Tren de Aragua
- Mara Salvatrucha
- Cártel de Sinaloa
- Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación
- Cártel del Noreste
- La Nueva Familia Michoacana
- Cártel de Golfo
- Cárteles Unidos
“With those designations, it has opened up a host of tools both for law enforcement and for prosecutors to enhance those penalties,” Courchaine said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a Mexican citizen supporting or a United States citizen supporting the foreign terrorist organizations — the prosecution and consequences will be as harsh as possible.”
According to the CBP website, Office of Field Operations (OFO) and United States Border Patrol (USBP) had 4,932 weapon and ammunition seizure events last fiscal year. They have had 1,909 seizure events in the October 2024 through March 2025 time frame.
“We will utilize every tool at our disposal to keep these weapons out of the designated terrorist organizations in Mexico,” Ramirez said.
CBP has also been working in collaboration with Homeland Security Investigations, Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
“Since January 20th of this year, ATF has prevented nearly 9,700 firearms from falling into the hands of dangerous criminals or terrorists,” said ATF Special Agent In Charge for the Phoenix Field Division, Brendan Iber.
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
