Two individuals have been taken into custody following the discovery of 30 handguns, which were allegedly intended for transport to Mexico. The firearms were cleverly concealed within a spare tire during a routine inspection at the southern border in Texas, according to officials on Friday.

This significant seizure was made by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) earlier this week at the Anzalduas Port of Entry, situated in Mission, a town straddling the Texas-Mexico border.

The operation was part of a collaborative effort involving DPS special agents, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). These agencies worked together as a multi-agency task force, conducting a thorough search of a 2015 Chevy pickup truck around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

During the meticulous inspection, special agents uncovered a stash of 30 handguns, including a 5.7-caliber FN Herstal, along with 60 magazines and a speed loader, all ingeniously hidden inside the vehicle’s spare tire, as detailed in a DPS news release.

“During the inspection, special agents discovered 30 handguns, including a 5.7-caliber FN Herstal, 60 magazines and one speed loader concealed inside the vehicle’s spare tire,” a DPS news release states. 

Jesse Joe Camacho, 28, of McAllen, Texas, left, and Luis E. Torres Mujica, 30, of Guanajuato, Mexico, right, were arrested after authorities said 30 handguns were found in a spare tire in their vehicle at the Texas-Mexico border.  (Texas Department of Public Safety )

According to a DPS official, the 5.7-caliber FN Herstal is known as a “cop-killer” weapon because the ammunition can pierce body armor. 

Investigators later discovered one of the handguns was reported stolen out of Austin, authorities said. The firearms were allegedly destined for Guanajuato in Mexico, where gun ownership is heavily restricted. 

The driver, Luis Torres Mujica, 30, a resident of Guanajuato, and his passenger, Jesse Joe Camacho, 28, of McAllen, Texas, were arrested and charged with theft of property and firearm smuggling, a second-degree felony.