U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) seized 11,100 rounds of ammunition earlier this month when they examined a vehicle attempting to enter the U.S. through a customs checkpoint between El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico.

CBP agents flagged a 2011 Honda Ridgeline pickup truck for further inspection as the driver tried to pass through the Bridge of the Americas (BOTA) border checkpoint after a low-energy portal scan detected anomalies.

A low-energy portal creates a digital image of any car that drives through it and allows CBP agents to flag any anomalies for further inspection.

Agents inspected the vehicle driven by a 32-year-old unnamed Mexican national and discovered bags of 11,100 rounds of 7.62 caliber ammunition hidden in the quarter panels of the truck.

They arrested the driver for smuggling and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with a federal prosecution secured.

To illustrate the significance of the amount of ammunition seized, CBP pointed out that in all of 2021, CBP seized only 15,678 rounds of ammo, 7,224 in 2022, and 11,205 in 2023.

They pointed out that despite the significant size of the seizure, it is only the second-largest ammunition seizure in recent months.

In August, CBP agents at the same border crossing stopped a commercial bus crossing from the U.S. to Mexico with 92,900 rounds of ammunition, more than the amount of ammo seized at the border in the previous three years combined.

The ammunition included 33,000 rounds of 7.62 ammo and 59,900 rounds of .223 ammo.