Pair of gun traffickers attempting to enter Mexico from Nogales sentenced

PHOENIX — Two men were sentenced to 24 months in prison on Wednesday for trying to smuggle firearms into Mexico through the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales last summer.

They each previously pleaded guilty to smuggling goods from the United States in separate cases, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona announced in a press release.

Customs and Border Protection officers on June 29 searched the vehicle of Luis Carlos Martinez-Chacon, 35, from Chihuahua, Mexico, and found five guns, including a an FN57 rifle with a filed off serial number.

They also found seven magazines and thousands of rounds of ammunition inside the dashboard and center console of the vehicle, according to the release.

Martinez-Chacon admitted he was transporting the firearms in exchange for payment from an individual in Mexico, prosecutors said.

On July 1, 26-year-old Adan Gomez-Lopez of Nogales, Mexico, was stopped by officers, who found thousands of ammunition rounds concealed inside the vehicle’s quarter panels, speaker box and non-factory compartments.

Gomez-Lopez was expecting payment from an individual in Mexico for the rounds, according to prosecutors.

Both men will receive 12 months of supervised release after their prison sentences.

Customs and Border Protections conducted 410 weapons and ammunition seizures in January, according to its data portal.

Follow @KTAR923