Marine Vet, said he never intended to leave US (San Diego: live, military)

[moved]

And there are large, overhead freeway signs that say, "last US exit before Mexico."

[malcorub16]

This is Mexican Custom's side of the story, it is in Spanish so I will give you the gist of it. As you can see from custom's pictures he didn't just cross into TJ with a couple of concealed handguns, he went in with a powered automatic rifle, a high powered shot gun as well as a 45 and an arsenal of ammo. The 25 year old marine vet crossed into Tijuana about a month ago and asserted to customs he had just returned from Tijuana from having dinner with friends and crossed back by mistake. He went through the "nothing to declare" lane and got a green light to pass through...but what triggered customs to pull him over for inspection was that his pick-up did not have a front licence plate which is customary in California and all of the states in the Republic of Mexico, only having a rear license plate from the US state of Florida. While being searched and while he was detained, he never at anytime made any declaration to customs that he was a marine or ex marine or that he was even a veteran of the Afghanistan war.

He emphasizes that at no time has customs acted in an unethical or irresponsible way and at no time did customs try to initiate a deal with the marine vet to turn-over the firearms and he would be allowed to enter Tijuana as was rumored. They merely followed the law.

Customs is now aware that he is diagnosed with PTSD for his combat service to the Govt of the US in the Afghanistan War.


My personal take is I feel less sympathetic after seeing the type of firearms this guy had, he messed up bad and is paying the price. But for his service in Afghanistan, his/our government does owe him some assistance and hopefully they can use their influence to get him freed soon.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1ha6riZAqU

[echo42]

I wonder how understanding we would be if a Mexican Marine crossed into the United States with the same cache of weapons. Then tried to escape custody.

The Mexicans are doing the same thing we would be doing; arresting and prosecuting.

I worked in Mexico City for a while and I got a security brief when I arrived. I will never forget what the security official told me:
"Mexico is like the ocean, don't fear it...but you better respect it".

Bottom line up front-don't eff around in Mexico.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by malcorub16

This is Mexican Custom's side of the story, it is in Spanish so I will give you the gist of it. As you can see from custom's pictures he didn't just cross into TJ with a couple of concealed handguns, he went in with a powered automatic rifle, a high powered shot gun as well as a 45 and an arsenal of ammo. The 25 year old marine vet crossed into Tijuana about a month ago and asserted to customs he had just returned from Tijuana from having dinner with friends and crossed back by mistake. He went through the "nothing to declare" lane and got a green light to pass through...but what triggered customs to pull him over for inspection was that his pick-up did not have a front licence plate which is customary in California and all of the states in the Republic of Mexico, only having a rear license plate from the US state of Florida. While being searched and while he was detained, he never at anytime made any declaration to customs that he was a marine or ex marine or that he was even a veteran of the Afghanistan war.

He emphasizes that at no time has customs acted in an unethical or irresponsible way and at no time did customs try to initiate a deal with the marine vet to turn-over the firearms and he would be allowed to enter Tijuana as was rumored. They merely followed the law.

Customs is now aware that he is diagnosed with PTSD for his combat service to the Govt of the US in the Afghanistan War.


My personal take is I feel less sympathetic after seeing the type of firearms this guy had, he messed up bad and is paying the price. But for his service in Afghanistan, his/our government does owe him some assistance and hopefully they can use their influence to get him freed soon.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1ha6riZAqU

Lot's of fud here. It was an AR not a machine gun. It's a one shot one trigger pull semi auto rifle. .223 isn't even legal to use for hunting in most States. What's a "powered automatic rifle"? There is no such thing. There is no such thing as a "high powered shotgun". It's either a shotgun or it's not. Arsenal of ammo? Come on. I carry more than this every time I go to the range.

Why do people comment about weapons that know little to nothing about them. 3-4 weapons is not a "cache". That's not more than most LE use in their cars on a daily basis. Including Fish and Wildlife.

[Think4Yourself]

Originally Posted by USDefault

You do not enter Mexico by "mistake." You do not try to escape the federales by mistake. And you don't stab yourself in the neck with a lightbulb by mistake while in a Mexico prison (probably looking for a second escape attempt while getting medical). The entire story is total BS. Plainly, was looking to unload the guns for fast cash, and something went bad while he was in the country.

Also, who "head[s] to dinner" in San Ysidro? Food there sucks.

I don't know anything about this guy's case other than to what I have read here and it does sound suspicious. That said, there are several really good restaurants down in San Ysidro and Imperial Beach which I occasionally go down to. Aqui es Texcoco does an excellent pit roasted lamb recipe and everything on the menu is lamb; I love to see unique locally owned restaurants like that which go out on a limb trying to introduce something new. Ponchito's has great TJ style street tacos which rival Tacos El Gordo for best tacos in the city. The TJ Oyster Bar is technically in Bonita but for some reason I lump that whole area together in my mind and TJOB has some pretty darn tasty Mexican style seafood.

I do have to confess that if I'm driving all the way down to the border I am more likely to go eat in Mexico rather than stop and eat in San Ysidro though. Still, I think you are sadly misinformed with your claims that "Food sucks there".

[Think4Yourself]

Originally Posted by aboveordinary

The best part of this whole thing is Duncan Hunter threatening to go down there with some "marine buddies" and break him out. That's a good way to get shot.

I wish Duncan Hunter would do this, that way he'd end up in a Mexican jail and we would finally be rid of him.

[aboveordinary]

Originally Posted by Think4Yourself

I wish Duncan Hunter would do this, that way he'd end up in a Mexican jail and we would finally be rid of him.

I agree! Can't stand him!

[malcorub16]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

Lot's of fud here. It was an AR not a machine gun. It's a one shot one trigger pull semi auto rifle. .223 isn't even legal to use for hunting in most States. What's a "powered automatic rifle"? There is no such thing. There is no such thing as a "high powered shotgun". It's either a shotgun or it's not. Arsenal of ammo? Come on. I carry more than this every time I go to the range.

Why do people comment about weapons that know little to nothing about them. 3-4 weapons is not a "cache". That's not more than most LE use in their cars on a daily basis. Including Fish and Wildlife.

You sure know your guns ATP, as you deciphered, this is one Texan that doesn't. Either way, the shot-gun can probably be bought at Wal-Mart in Texas so I will give you that one, but I see that AR-15 and lose sympathy right away for the guy, legal in the US or not, to me that gun is a bit excessive...plus the guy is just leaving it in his truck where anyone could easily break in and steal it. Why take the arsenal to dinner.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by malcorub16

You sure know your guns ATP, as you deciphered, this is one Texan that doesn't. Either way, the shot-gun can probably be bought at Wal-Mart in Texas so I will give you that one, but I see that AR-15 and lose sympathy right away for the guy, legal in the US or not, to me that gun is a bit excessive...plus the guy is just leaving it in his truck where anyone could easily break in and steal it. Why take the arsenal to dinner.

I hope I didn't come off as rude because I didn't intend to be. I just want to know if he had them hidden or in plain sight and ARs are not the scary guns they have a reputation for. They are no different than a 7500 Remington Deer rifle except some small design changes and are actually the "new" hunting rifles for the ages.

I've stopped off places with plenty of weapons coming from the range. I'm from Colorado so I am really used to seeing weapons on people and in cars. Again, no disrespect.

Now, if this were some guns he smuggled off base, select fire rifles? I'd be with ya, but they weren't.

[rosa surf]

Originally Posted by echo42

I wonder how understanding we would be if a Mexican Marine crossed into the United States with the same cache of weapons. Then tried to escape custody.

The Mexicans are doing the same thing we would be doing; arresting and prosecuting.

I worked in Mexico City for a while and I got a security brief when I arrived. I will never forget what the security official told me:
"Mexico is like the ocean, don't fear it...but you better respect it".

Bottom line up front-don't eff around in Mexico.

Exactly.