The Brief
- A father-and-son duo in Texas were charged with illegally trafficking over 75 firearms and large quantities of ammunition.
- The guns were allegedly purchased in bulk using cash from private sellers at Texas gun shows to avoid detection.
- The father, who is an undocumented Mexican national, and his son face federal charges, with prosecutors stating the weapons were likely headed to “bad actors.”
A man living in the U.S. illegally and his son have been charged with trafficking more than 75 firearms and large amounts of ammunition purchased at gun shows in Texas, following a federal investigation, authorities said.
Father and son arrested
What we know:
48-year-old Andres Avila, a Mexican national, and his son, 22-year-old Houston resident Anthony Avila, were arrested after investigators with Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol observed them allegedly buying firearms in bulk, federal officials said in a news release.
Alleged trafficking method
Andres is also charged with being an undocumented immigrant in possession of firearms and ammunition, which is prohibited under federal law. According to court documents, agents saw the father and son working together at a gun show, wearing backpacks and repeatedly filling them with firearms before emptying them into large plastic totes stashed beneath a vendor’s table. Investigators said they used cash to buy guns from private sellers in an effort to avoid detection.
Vendors at the booth where the guns were stored told investigators they met the father and son through a Texas pawn shop and believed the pair were paying cash to buy firearm magazines. Agents ultimately found more than 75 firearms in the totes, according to the release.…