Two Mexican nationals who were allegedly traveling to buy a car were also found with 180,000 rounds of ammunition during a traffic stop in Colorado last month.
Caesar Ramon Martinez Solis, 41, and Humberto Ivan Amador Gavira, 24, both of Mexico, were pulled over in Cañon City, Colorado, on March 26, the U.S. Attorney’s Office – District of Colorado said in a news release.
They were in the U.S. on nonimmigrant visas and were transported to a local ICE detention facility after the traffic stop. The two men are charged with Unlawful Possession of Ammunition by Alien Admitted Under a Nonimmigrant Visa, the Canon City Daily Record reports.
Solis consented to a search of the vehicle. During the traffic stop, investigators discovered the ammunition in the back of the van. They had approximately 150 boxes of .308 ammunition and approximately 30 boxes of 7.62 ammunition, police said. Each box was labeled as containing 1,000 rounds.
Solis, the driver of the vehicle, claimed not to know the intent of the ammunition or where they were taking it.
“[Solis] further explained that he did not know the intent with the ammunition but that he believed it was destined for Pueblo,” states the affidavit penned by Special Agent Adam Jennings with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Solis admitted the destination was on Garcia’s phone, according to the affidavit. Pueblo is about 113 miles south of Denver. Cañon City is about 38 miles west of Pueblo via US-50, so they were close to their destination.
Solis and Gavira claim they traveled to Denver to buy a car and then went to Salt Lake City to look at another vehicle. They visited a gun store in Salt Lake City, where Gavira purchased a lot of ammunition — 150 1,000 ct. boxes of .308 and 30 boxes of 7.62, Fox News reports.
According to reports, two detectives from Fremont County Sheriff’s Office spotted a white Chevrolet van traveling eastbound around 10:35 p.m. March 26 on U.S. 50 in Cañon City. The detectives were traveling westbound, and the van failed to dim its headlights as it passed, which violates state law, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Canon City Daily Record.
The detectives reported the van’s license plate light was not working and said the van’s driver also failed to signal when turning into a gas station. Upon initiating a traffic stop, Solis and Gavira provided the detectives with U.S. visas as a form of identification, but they were unable to provide proof of insurance.
They did not speak English, so FCSO Det. Alejandro Jimenez arrived on the scene to translate. Solis told Jimenez that they were from Durango, Mexico, but were traveling from Utah to Pueblo, Colo. The detectives also contacted an officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Solis agreed to speak with U.S. Department of Homeland Security special agents and waive his right to an attorney, according to the affidavit.
Solis told authorities that he and Amador Garcia, whom he claimed was his brother-in-law, had traveled from Mexico to Denver on March 25 purchase a vehicle. The next day, March 26, they drove to Salt Lake City to look at another vehicle that Martinez Solis was interested in buying.
Solis was cited by the FCSO for operating an uninsured vehicle, transporting hazardous materials without a permit, improper use of auxiliary lighting, failure to dim his lights, operating a vehicle without license plate lamps and failing to use a turn signal, the Canon City Daily Record reports.
Gavira was cited by the FCSO for aiding in the violation of hazardous materials laws, the Canon City Daily Record reports.
Both men had possession of a valid B2 nonimmigrant visa. Martinez Solis’s was issued on Oct. 25, 2023, and expires Oct. 23, 2033.
Gavira’s visa was issued on Nov. 18, 2022, and expires on Aug. 31, 2032.
Both men entered the U.S. on March 25, 2025.
