EL PASO, Texas—We often hear about smugglers sneaking drugs or people into the United States, but contraband and fugitives also make their way from Texas to Mexico. 

Lawmen say that gun smuggling is of particular concern.

One officer told 11 News that drug trafficking organizations are always smuggling weapons, ammunition and money into Mexico.

“We have seized weapons. Anywhere from AR-15s to small semi-automatic handguns. Ammunition, that’s pretty common,” said Rick Lopez who is with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

So far this year, there have been 250 seizures along the border.

Lopez says that drug cartels use illegal weapons in bloody battles against each other and the Mexican government.

Texas and Arizona, documents show, are top sources for gun runners.

Experts in those areas are now using devices to measure density and detect hidden compartments that smugglers are using.

“Whenever something goes out of the normal range we take a closer look at it,” said Bernardo Ortiz who is with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The checks are highly coordinated and often based on intelligence indicating someone or something is headed illegally into Mexico.

This fiscal year, the feds say they caught 356 fugitives headed into Mexico from Texas.