A Phoenix woman, Migdelia Irma Mendoza, has been charged in federal court after she attempted to cross the southern border in a vehicle loaded with firearms, firearm parts, and an RPG launcher tube.
According to the Department of Justice, a federal grand jury returned an indictment last week charging the 42-year-old Mendoza, 42, of Phoenix, with Attempted Smuggling Goods from the United States. The charge resulted from a Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) investigation.
Court documents show that on April 19, 2026, Mendoza was traveling to Mexico and passed multiple signs warning drivers that firearms and ammunition are prohibited in the Republic of Mexico. When Mendoza attempted to cross the border at the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, officers conducted an outbound inspection.
As officers searched Mendoza’s Lexus, they folded up the rear seat and found non-factory black fabric beneath it. Under the fabric, officers felt objects that were solid and did not appear to be part of the vehicle. After anomalies were confirmed through a scan of the vehicle, officers conducted a closer inspection and discovered the RPG launcher tube, firearms, and firearm parts.
Specific items included four AR-style rifles, 16 AK-style rifles, one AK-style pistol, one RPG-7 launcher tube, 20 firearm pistol grips, 16 rifle buttstocks, and 24 AK-style firearm magazines. These items are prohibited by U.S. law for export without a valid U.S. government issued export license, which Mendoza did not possess.
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