U.S. Yuma Sector Border Patrol Agents Seize Illegal Weapons

BLYTHE, California. – A U.S. Border Patrol K-9 alert at a gas station in Blythe, Calif., resulted in the seizure of a cache of tactical weapons Wednesday evening.

After the dog was alerted, Blythe Station officers obtained permission to search the Honda CR-V and discovered 25 AK-47 style rifles, 25 30-round magazines and two pistols. Officers arrested the two male occupants, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen and a juvenile, and seized the vehicle. The suspects have been turned over to local law enforcement while the case awaits further investigation. However, it appears that the weapons were in fact destined for Mexico.

“Transnational criminal organizations traffic arms to fuel their illicit activities on both sides of the border. This weapons seizure clearly demonstrates the importance of our border security mission and our commitment to keeping our communities safe,” said Yuma Sector Chief Patrol Agent Sean McGoffin. “Our Border Patrol agents remain loyal and vigilant, and I am extremely proud of the work they do every day. This would be the largest seizure in the recent history of the Yuma sector.

This seizure is the result of Operation Apollo, a holistic counter-fentanyl effort that began on October 26, 2023 in Southern California and expanded to Arizona on April 10, 2024. Operation Apollo focuses on intelligence gathering and partnerships and utilizes CBP's local scope. assets augmented by federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to augment resources, increase collaboration, and target fentanyl smuggling into the United States.