Mexican man arrested in Arizona for trying to smuggle firearms out of US

PHOENIX — A Mexican man was sentenced to over three years in prison for trying to smuggle firearms from Arizona to Mexico, authorities announced on Wednesday.

Abel Airam Franco Garcia, 22, was sentenced to 37 months in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

He previously pleaded guilty to smuggling goods from the U.S., prosecutors said.

Mexican man sentenced for weapons trafficking in Arizona

Garcia was stopped at the San Luis port of entry in Arizona while trying to leave the U.S. on June 25, 2024, prosecutors said.

Authorities who searched his vehicle found four firearms and six magazines, including two high-capacity magazines.

They also found ammunition and a substance they believed to be fentanyl, prosecutors said.

Garcia told authorities he had driven to Phoenix earlier and that he was being paid to bring the firearms to Mexico.

After he leaves prison, he will spent three years of supervised release.

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