Dallas Trucker Arrested in Mexico With Ammunition Made Wrong Turn, Boss Says
Jabin Bogan's boss said Bogan was trying to make a U-turn and entered Mexico.
April 20, 2012— -- A Dallas truck driver who crossed the border into Mexico carrying a truckload of ammunition wasn't transporting arms and simply made a wrong turn, his boss said today.
Jabin Bogan, 27, was arrested Tuesday when he tried to re-enter the United States near El Paso, Texas, with 268,000 rounds of ammunition in his truck.
Mexico has strict firearms laws. Accidental offenders can he held for days and could even be subjected to lengthy prison terms, according to the U.S. State Department.
Dennis Mekenye, Bogan's boss at trucking company Demco Express, said Bogan, who sits in a Mexican prison awaiting potential charges, made an "honest mistake.
"He told me he was coming from the warehouse, missed a turn, and was stuck one-way going south, said Mekenye. "At that point he asked a cop how to make a U-turn and was told to go three or four miles, but at that point was in Mexico," Mekenye told ABCNews.com.
Bogan had been en route to United Nations Ammunition in Phoenix to deliver his load.
Mekenye became worried about his employee's whereabouts when he turned on the tracking system linked to Bogan's truck and saw Bogan was in Mexico. He reached Bogan by phone Tuesday afternoon.
Bogan told him Mexican authorities were taking everything out of the truck to count and do an inspection.
Mexican border police spokesman Angel Torres said Bogan claimed he did not have any goods to declare when he attempted to cross back into the United States, the Associated Press reported.
After several hours, Bogan was taken into police custody.
"He told me I have two cops with full gear guarding me," Mekenye said. "I told him to hand over the phone to anyone who is in charge. They didn't speak English. At that point I couldn't talk to them. He said, 'These people are telling me to get into a car and they're taking me somewhere 10 minutes away.'"
Mekenye contacted the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez and worked to get Bogan U.S. assistance, but right now he said he's unsure what to expect.
"We are in limbo, and no one is telling us what is going on. As of today, we are still very much worried," he said.
Bogan is being held under the jurisdiction of the organized crime unit in the state of Chihuahua. If convicted, he could face more than 25 years in prison.