A former border city official is facing federal charges in Mexico after he was reportedly caught trying to smuggle more than 1,100 bulletproof vest and 1,200 cell phones from Texas.

Alfredo Biasi, the former Social Development Secretary for Matamoros and the owner of Grupo Alpha, was detained and taken to the local headquarters of the attorney general’s office with some of his employees for questioning about the alleged smuggling case.

According to information revealed by Mexican authorities, the case began at one of the international bridges in Matamoros, when Grupo Alpha employees tried to drive a truck with doctored importation documents claiming the cargo consisted solely of medical equipment. When Mexican customs checked the vehicle, the 1,136 vests and 1,200 phones were reportedly hidden within a shipment of medical supplies. Because the crime is considered federal in nature, Mexican customs contacted the attorney general’s office (PGR) to take over the case. The final destination for the seized body armor and phones was not revealed by authorities.

Biasi was the social development secretary for Matamoros during the administration of Leticia Salazar from 2013 to 2016. In 2014, Biasi was arrested on tax evasion charges after being tied to a warehouse filled with smuggled alcohol and tobacco. Since the products found at Biasi’s warehouse were smuggled, prosecutors at the time alleged that importation taxes were not paid.

Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by “J.A. Espinoza ” from Tamaulipas.