From the El Paso Times: Mexican federal prosecutors will press charges
against the U.S. trucker who may have accidentally crossed into Juárez
with 268,000 rounds of ammunition last week, a source familiar with the
investigation said Monday.
Meanwhile, officials with the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives reiterated on Monday that
preliminary investigations suggest that the truck driver was
transporting a legitimate cargo.
A Mexican official, who
requested anonymity because he is not authorized to disclose the
information, said Jabin Akeem Bogan, 27, will face charges for
violation of provisions within Mexico's anti-gun laws.
The
source said it was unclear under which provisions he would be charged,
but it is possible he will be accused with possession of cartridges of
exclusive use by the military.
Salvador Urbina, a criminal
attorney in Juárez, said it is more likely that Bogan will be charged
with introduction of cartridges of exclusive use by the military, which
is a more serious offense.
Bogan could face between four and 15
years in prison if charged with possession, and between 10 and 25 years
if charged with introduction, Urbina said. Ê
His case will be
resolved by the fifth district court in Juárez, where a federal judge
has 72 hours to determine if Bogan will remain in prison until his next
court date and what will happen with the seized rounds of ammunition.
Bogan is currently being held in a federal prison in Veracruz, Mexico, said his mother Aletha Smith.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_20464308/trucker-will-face-anti-gun-charges
Later in the article: Bogan was detained last Tuesday by Mexican
federal customs officers at the Bridge of the Americas with the cargo.
His employer and others have come out in his defense, saying the load
was actually headed to a Phoenix ammo shop.
Bogan took a wrong
turn toward the Bridge of the Americas and was told by a nearby officer
that the only way to turn around was going into Mexico and returning,
said Dennis Mekenye, owner of Arlington-based Demco Transportation Inc
and Bogan's boss.
The transaction was legitimate and that his company is authorized to transport such cargo, Mekenye said.
"From the company's standpoint everything is legal," he said. Ê
ATF
spokesman in Dallas, Tom Crowley said on Monday that so far
investigations haven't revealed anything suspicious about the
transportation of the ammunitions.
"We've done numerous
interviews and all we can say is that it looks like it was going to be
a legitimate delivery to that dealer in Phoenix," he said.
Somehow, this trucker apparently got lost. How, I am not sure because the Bridge of the Americas is not like a freeway or freeway off ramp. The trucker had to do some strange driving to get into that position.
But it also appears that the driver got no help from the American Customs or Border Patrol Other reports state that there were other ways for the driver to turn around but no one helped out the driver. It also seems like the U.S. State Department is not doing very much in trying to get the man out of Mexican jail.
So, hopefully, the trucker will get out of Mexican jail quickly and the matter is resolved quickly. Being in a Mexican jail, especially in Juarez, is nothing short of being in hell.
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