EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — A National Guard member found a gym bag filled with automatic rifles and ammunition while patrolling near the Texas-Mexico border on May 5 in Eagle Pass, Texas..
The guardsman was assigned to the Border Patrol’s Eagle Pass South Station, which is part of the Del Rio Sector.
The bag had been abandoned in high grass and had eight AK-47-style rifles and 10 30-round magazines, according to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection news release.
Officials later determined that four of the rifles had been reported stolen, and turned them over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
“This is the second time our agents encountered abandoned weapons and ammo in this area,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Austin L. Skero II said in a statement. “It’s critical that our agents stay alert to all threats and work with our partners to stop criminal organizations from entering our communities.”
An Army spokesperson told Military.com that there are currently 3,800 National Guard troops deployed on the southern border.
In early March, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott deployed Department of Public Safety officers and Texas National Guard troops to patrol the Texas-Mexico border as part of Operation Lone Star.
