Elite federal and state law enforcement captured two heavily armed Mexican cartel members who had crossed the Rio Grande and walked into Texas in what authorities say has become a "very hot area" on the border for militaristic smugglers to cross.

The two unidentified men were arrested Thursday, Aug. 10, in a joint operation by the U.S. Border Patrol's Tactical Unit, the Texas Department of Public Safety's Rangers Special Operations Group, and the Texas Game Warden after they were first observed on camera crossing days earlier.

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“There is no greater public safety and national security threat than the Mexican drug cartels, who have exploited security vulnerabilities due to an unsecured international border," a Texas DPS spokesman said in a statement. "This joint effort highlights the importance of collaborating with local, county, state, and federal agencies for one common goal — keeping our state and country safe."

The DPS official said the two men originally crossed the river with another man into Fronton, Texas, days earlier and were caught on U.S. cameras. The three men returned to Mexico, but at least two of them crossed back to the U.S. The region has become a "very hot area" to temporarily hide from the Mexican military, which is targeting cartels in the area.

The three law enforcement agencies quickly responded to the second sighting of the armed men on Aug. 10. The Texas Game Warden was led to one of the long guns hidden in the water by his canine partner, according to DPS.

The Texas Rangers found the two men hidden in the brush and turned them over to Border Patrol, where they could be referred to the U.S. attorney's office and face federal charges.

The two men were members of the Northeast Cartel, known as the Cartel del Noreste, a transnational criminal organization that illegally moves people and drugs over the border into the U.S. The two told law enforcement that they did not know they had entered the United States.

"They were under the impression they were still in Mexico," the DPS spokesman said in a phone call.

The firearms discovered on the scene were an M4 fully automatic rifle and an AK-47, according to DPS. Police also uncovered rounds of ammunition capable of going through bulletproof vests.

"These guys meant business. They could have done some harm," said the DPS spokesman.

Earlier this month, a human smuggler carrying a longarm was spotted by a Texas law enforcement drone as the man pushed immigrants into the Rio Grande and toward the U.S. border.

In what state police described as a "rare" incident, a man in a white shirt and black pants with a large firearm escorted approximately seven people to an island in the middle of the river in Eagle Pass.

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“Our rangers were operating their drones and they saw this individual guiding a group of migrants across the river,” said Texas DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez during a phone call last Thursday.

Olivarez said it marked the first time that state police in Eagle Pass observed a smuggler carrying a firearm while leading people through the water.