U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Presidio Station arrested three men near Presidio who authorities say entered the United States illegally while carrying AK-style rifles and ammunition, according to a social media post published by the agency.
In the post, Border Patrol described the men as “cartel members” and stated they were encountered while walking along River Road wearing camouflage clothing. The agency said the men were disarmed and taken into custody by agents.
However, Border Patrol did not provide evidence supporting its claim that the men were members of a cartel, identify which cartel they were allegedly associated with, or explain how agents reached that conclusion. The agency also did not reference any criminal charges related to organized crime activity.
Under the American legal system, individuals are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. While Border Patrol characterized the men as cartel members in its public statement, that claim remains an allegation unless supported by evidence presented through the judicial process.
The agency released a graphic featuring photographs of the three men alongside images appearing to show two AK-style rifles and two magazines. Notably, the graphic does not appear to show enough weapons to establish that all three men were armed. Border Patrol has not explained whether additional firearms were recovered but not shown, whether only some of the men were carrying weapons, or how the weapons were distributed among the group.
