David Fehr Wiebe, Smuggling Firearms, New Mexico 2023

A Mexican national has been charged with smuggling firearms into Mexico from the United States. David Fehr Wiebe, 51, of Janos, Chihuahua, Mexico, will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled.

According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court, Wiebe applied for entry into the United States at the Antelope Wells Port of Entry in Hachita, New Mexico on December 3, 2023. Wiebe stated that 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 which he was towing.

Customs and Border Protection Officers referred the vehicle for secondary inspection, during which time officers located two handguns wrapped in cellophane beneath the center console. Officers placed Wiebe under arrest when he responded that it was because of the firearms in the vehicle. Officers asked Wiebe how many firearms were in the vehicle and he stated that there was a total of 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 and that he was going to be paid $350 for each weapon.

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.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Saltman is prosecuting the case.

Wiebe was arrested on December 3, 2023, at the Antelope Wells Port of Entry in Hachita, New Mexico. He will remain in custody pending trial.

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