Wrong Way Trucker To Face Charges In Mexico

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.