A resident of Mesa, AZ has been sentenced to three years in prison for attempting to smuggle pistols across the border into Mexico, hidden in a bucket of roofing tar.
According to KTAR News, Miguel Sanchez Alvarez was convicted by a jury. He had also tried to smuggle 13 magazines and 200 rounds of ammunition into Mexico. All of the guns and ammunition were apparently owned by Alvarez.
He was arrested after he and an accomplice tried to smuggle the guns and ammunition across the border at the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales more than two years ago. The accomplice, Victor Orlando Leal-Medina, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 months behind bars.
Authorities recovered all of the firearms and ammunition. The investigation involved officers with ICE, ATF and police in Nogales and Phoenix.
