Officer Arrested While Trying to Smuggle Firearms into Mexico

SOLEDAD, Calif.

A Soledad police officer and a Presidio of Monterey police officer were arrested Friday while trying to smuggle firearms into Mexico, police said.

Police said Mexican police arrested Presidio of Monterey Sgt. Jorge Matos and the Soledad officer as they tried to enter Mexico with several firearms and ammunition. Matos is a former employee of the Soledad Police Department.

Inspectors said they recovered 5,000 rounds of ammunition, tactical training equipment and two laptop computers.

Soledad Police Chief Richard Cox said officials from the Department of Homeland Security notified his office of the arrest on Friday.

Cox said an internal audit of the Soledad Police Department armory did not show any weapons missing. The Presidio of Monterey's police department also said it had no weapons unaccounted for.

Matos was fired during his probationary period after three AR-15 rifles disappeared from his home and could not be found.

The identity of the Soledad police officer was not released.

The two men will spend a minimum of 60 to 90 days in a Mexican prison before being brought before a judge.

If convicted, they could face a minimum of 15 years in a Mexican prison.