Mexican national charged with smuggling firearms into Mexico from the US following HSI El Paso investigation

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A 51-year-old man from Chihuahua, Mexico, appeared in federal court on a criminal complaint charging him with smuggling goods from the United States.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case.

David Fehr Wiebe, of Janos, Chihuahua, Mexico, will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled.

According to the criminal complaint, on Dec. 3, 2023, Wiebe applied for entry into the United States at the Antelope Wells Port of Entry in Hachita, New Mexico. Wiebe said he had just departed the same point of entry but had turned around when he was denied entry into Mexico because he lacked the proper documentation to export a vehicle he was towing. Customs and Border Protection officers referred the vehicle for secondary inspection, where officers located two handguns wrapped in cellophane beneath the center console and arrested him. When officers asked Wiebe if he understood why he was being arrested, he responded that it was because of the firearms in the vehicle. Officers asked him how many firearms where in the vehicle and he said there were 14.

Officers located four rifles between the back seat and the back panel of the vehicle, three handguns, and multiple shotguns. During a subsequent interview, Wiebe told officers that he purchased the firearms in Seminole, Texas, with the intent of smuggling them to Mexico. He said he was going to be paid $350 for each weapon.

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HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

A criminal complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted on the current charges, Wiebe faces up to 10 years in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Saltman is prosecuting the case.