Calexico resident arrested on gun trafficking charges

A 25-year-old Calexico resident awaits trial Friday after allegedly trying to illegally transport firearms across the California-Arizona border.

Personnel from the Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force (CVVCGTF) were called to the U.S. Border Patrol Station in Blythe (PB) on Wednesday to assist in a weapons seizure operation, according to a statement from Sgt. . Cameron James was released Thursday evening.

Border Patrol agents stopped a Honda HRV, occupied by José Palma Almendarez and his 17-year-old minor brother. During their search, officers allegedly found “a large cache of assault rifles and magazines hidden in the rear of the vehicle.”