RPG Launcher Tube, Rifles Hidden in Lexus Headed to Mexico Seized at Arizona Border

CBP officers arrested a 41‑year‑old woman traveling with three minors at the Nogales Port of Entry after finding an RPG launcher tube, rifles, and weapons parts concealed in a void beneath the back seat of her Lexus. Officials say the cache was discovered during outbound inspections aimed at stopping weapons from reaching criminal groups in Mexico.

CBP officials reported that on April 19, a 41-year-old U.S. citizen, female, approached the DeConcini Crossing in Nogales, Arizona, to cross the border into Mexico. The woman, driving a 2016 Lexus IS200t was referred to a secondary inspection station where officers carried out a non-intrusive inspection of the vehicle. The inspection revealed an anomaly in the back seat area of the vehicle where three minor children were seated.

The officers then conducted a physical search of the vehicle and discovered a rocket-propelled grenade launcher tube, four rifles, an AK pistol, 16 AK-style rifles, 16 rifle stocks, 20 pistol grips, and other weapons parts.

“Under the powerful leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, our frontline CBP officers utilized an effective combination of inspection experience and technology to find these weapons and prevent them from falling into the hands of the cartels,” said CBP’s Acting Deputy Commissioner Ron Vitiello. “CBP prevented these dangerous weapons from wreaking havoc on the good people of Mexico.”

The officers seized the weapons and arrested the woman for attempting to smuggle weapons illegally from the U.S. to Mexico. Officers released the three children to a family member.

“President Trump designated criminal drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations for good reason, and this case is one of many that shows their violent intent to hang on to power,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona Timothy Courchaine. “The United States Attorney’s Office is proud to work alongside the Department of Homeland Security to make sure we choke off the flow of weapons to violent actors in Mexico and bring their accomplices in the United States to justice.”