Officials allegedly seized 1,014 bottles of Patron, valued at more than $25,000, from the home of Manuel Alejandro Martinez Fernandez, Laredo Police said in a statement.
A Texas man has been arrested for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars’ worth of tequila after the liquor was advertised for sale on social media sites, police said.
Officials allegedly seized 1,014 bottles of Patron, valued at more than $25,000, from the home of Manuel Alejandro Martinez Fernandez on Thursday, Laredo Police said in a statement.
It all started on Sept. 19, when a shipping business filed a report for cargo theft, noting one pallet containing 1,014 bottles of the pricey tequila were stolen from a trailer.
Investigators set up surveillance on Fernandez’s home after finding advertisements for “large quantities” of liquor for sale on social media, police said.
When confronted, Fernandez allegedly allowed the home to be searched, during which investigators discovered “numerous” bottles of booze, authorities said.
They also discovered a loaded gun in the house, cops said.
Fernandez allegedly admitted to being in the U.S. illegally and also to owning the weapon, authorities said.
He was charged with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, a federal felony. Charges were pending for the stolen tequila.
The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives aided in the investigation at the request of officials after Fernandez allegedly admitted he owned of the gun and was undocumented, police said.
The investigation is ongoing, cops said.
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