PHOENIX — An Arizona City man was arrested earlier this month for straw purchasing firearms intended for Mexico, authorities said.

From September 2020 until June 2021, 23-year-old Jorge Zuniga-Aguilera purchased at least 82 firearms from Arizona gun stores.

One of the weapons was found as a murder weapon of a citizen in Mexico City, authorities said.

He was sentenced to 27 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release.

“Border security means protecting our neighbor’s sovereignty,” United States attorney Gary Restaino said in the release.

“When American guns flow south into Mexico, we all lose. Straw purchase prosecutions are an important step in securing the border and protecting communities in both countries.”

The case was a part of the joint federal, state and local Project Safe Neighborhoods Program, a major piece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.

PSN is an program that identifies violent crimes in the community and offers evidence based solutions to stop similar future crimes.

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