Jailed Trucker’s Defense Team To Meet In Light Of New Evidence

Mexican and American defense attorneys working on the release of a jailed Texas trucker are slated to meet Thursday on the heels of new evidence produced by Mexican Federal prosecutors.

The Mexican attorney is the only person supporting Borgan to have had consistent communication with him at the Villa Aldama prison in Veracruz, Mexico.

Newly obtained documents show evidence which supports 27-year-old Dallas trucker Jabin Bogan’s claim that his entry into Mexican territory was unintentional.

Bogan supporters contend the trucker was doing his job when he mistakenly ended up stuck in traffic in his 18-wheeler near the Bridge of the Americas.

Shipping orders show Bogan was transporting various cargo which included 268,000 rounds of high-powered rifle ammunition from a manufactory in Tennessee to a distributor in Phoenix.

The documents contain statements from Mexican customs agent America Zubia Saenz who wrote the initial arrest report.

In the report, Zubia Saenz states that when she first approached Bogan’s truck, he was attempting to “maneuver a return” back to the United States Side of the Bridge.

Zubia Saenz, along with additional Mexican customs agents, state that when they searched Bogan’s cargo, the pallets containing the ammunition were not concealed or hidden.

The new statements from the arresting Mexican agents contradict previous verbal allegations made by the Mexican federal prosecutor’s office which claimed a gamma-ray inspection revealed the presence of metal canisters holding the ammunition, hidden in the truck’s floor.

Once Bogan’s cargo was searched, he was immediately arrested and has since been in a maximum security prison in Veracruz.

He is charged with clandestinely introducing arms exclusively used by the military into Mexico.

Bogan faces a sentence of up to 30 years if convicted.

Also included in the Mexcan arrest documents is a verbal statement taken from Bogan by the Mexican agents.

The statement alleges Bogan wanted to turn around before he crossed the bridge, but a United States law enforcement officer at the bridge told him he could not.

The statement claims the officer told Bogan to proceed to the other side of the “hill” then do the U-turn on the other side.

A United States Customs and Border Protection spokesman has said from the beginning, agents were not inspecting outbound traffic going into Mexico on April 17, at the time Bogan was arrested by Mexican customs agents.

In statement from the agency on April 18, a spokesman wrote, “CBP commends Mexican authorities for intercepting the ammunition at the border.”

C.B.P. does inspect all vehicles which get near the bridge then decide to turn back around, however.

Once traffic is halted and the vehicle is inspected iron cones must be moved to allow a U-turn.

C.B.P. will not release video surveillance of the bridge from the time frame in which Bogan would have crossed citing the video is a matter of national security.

Border security officials have not indicated whether or not they reviewed surveillance tapes to determine if Bogan had any interaction with agency officials prior to crossing the bridge.