A Filipino woman named Marlou Mendoza — who’s based in Long Beach, California — and her Philippine-based son, Mark Louie Mendoza, are facing charges for smuggling firearms to the Philippines.
“Marlou was arrested last week at the Los Angeles International Airport. Authorities claim that she was illegally shipping hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of weapons and ammunition to the Philippines. Mark Louie has also been charged in a separate indictment,” reports ABS-CBN North America News Bureau.
If convicted, Marlou faces a 15-year maximum prison sentence. Mark is charged with multiple counts that include conspiracy, unlawful export of munitions, smuggling, and of money laundering which translates to a possible 115 years in a U.S. federal prison.
The report noted: “In 2011, Customs and Border Protection officers uncovered a cache of ammunition and firearms parts in an outbound crate being shipped by Marlou. They eventually conducted an investigation. Prosecutors claim the mother and son tried to send the weapons parts and ammunition inside shipments they claimed were household goods. Marlou failed to provide written notice that she was shipping ammunition in three incidents.”
