Clearwater man charged with smuggling guns to Mexico

FILE – In this Thursday, June 10, 2021, file photo, a pair of migrant families from Brazil pass through a gap in the border wall to reach the United States after crossing from Mexico to Yuma, Ariz., to seek asylum. Border officials got the go-ahead Thursday, July 28, 2022, to fill four remaining gaps in the U.S.-Mexico wall near the southern Arizona community of Yuma for safety reasons. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia, File)

by: Sam Sachs

Posted: Jan 5, 2023 / 12:54 PM EST

Updated: Jan 5, 2023 / 12:54 PM EST

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Clearwater man was indicted for smuggling firearms to Mexico after being stopped for a vehicle inspection at the southern border, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Ivan Sanchez-Jorge, 39 of Clearwater, was stopped at Eagle Pass on Dec. 3, 2022 by Customs and Border Patrol agents, telling him he did not have weapons, ammunition, or $10,000 or more in cash.

When CBP inspected his vehicle, they found a .380 caliber pistol and two 12-gauge shotguns. The guns were seized and Sanchez-Jorge was charged with smuggling goods from the United States, court proceedings are pending.

Sanchez-Jorge’s charges were delivered by a grand jury in Del Rio, Texas, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

The case will be prosecuted by the Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office, according to a release from ICE. If he’s convicted, he’ll face a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.