Alpine Man Accused Of Smuggling Stolen Mexican Artifacts Into West Texas
By: Dylan Brooks
Updated: October 29, 2012
ALPINE -- An Alpine man is accused of stealing hundreds of historic and culturally important artifacts from Mexico.
Antonio Reyes is accused of smuggling hundreds of artifacts -- some of which are from pre-Columbian times -- across the border from Mexico into the U.S.
Undercover Homeland Security Investigations agents reportedly recovered 200 Mexican artifacts from Reyes in Fort Stockton in June 2009.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials say the artifacts had been stolen from a private collection and museum in Cuatro Cienegas, Coahuila, Mexico in July 2008.
Reyes reportedly sneaked the stolen artifacts across the border before the undercover operation took place.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Homeland Security Investigations special agents pulled over Reyes for a traffic violation in Presidio County in November 2009, and they reportedly found several more Mexican artifacts in his vehicle.
I.C.E. officials say that Reyes hadn't declared the items when he crossed into the United States at the Presidio Port of Entry.
H.S.I. agents later opened a second investigation, associated with the seizure of more than 4,000 artifacts including arrowheads, bows, rabbit sticks, axes, spears, tomahawks, statuettes, sandals and beads.
I.C.E. agents returned all of the seized Mexican artifacts -- which were picked up in 11 separate investigations -- to Mexico on October 25th.
It's unclear what charges Reyes might be facing after the seizure.
Antonio Reyes is accused of smuggling hundreds of artifacts -- some of which are from pre-Columbian times -- across the border from Mexico into the U.S.
Undercover Homeland Security Investigations agents reportedly recovered 200 Mexican artifacts from Reyes in Fort Stockton in June 2009.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials say the artifacts had been stolen from a private collection and museum in Cuatro Cienegas, Coahuila, Mexico in July 2008.
Reyes reportedly sneaked the stolen artifacts across the border before the undercover operation took place.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and Homeland Security Investigations special agents pulled over Reyes for a traffic violation in Presidio County in November 2009, and they reportedly found several more Mexican artifacts in his vehicle.
I.C.E. officials say that Reyes hadn't declared the items when he crossed into the United States at the Presidio Port of Entry.
H.S.I. agents later opened a second investigation, associated with the seizure of more than 4,000 artifacts including arrowheads, bows, rabbit sticks, axes, spears, tomahawks, statuettes, sandals and beads.
I.C.E. agents returned all of the seized Mexican artifacts -- which were picked up in 11 separate investigations -- to Mexico on October 25th.
It's unclear what charges Reyes might be facing after the seizure.
