Phoenix man sentenced for firearms, ammunition smuggling at US-Mexico border

PHOENIX — A Phoenix man was sentenced to prison for attempting to smuggle firearms and ammunition across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Miguel Armando Castro received 51 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment, according to the United States Department of Justice.

Castro pleaded guilty to smuggling goods from the U.S.

Officials said he attempted to exit the United States into Mexico on January 19, 2022, in a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona.

He was the driver and the only person in the truck.

Customs and Border Protection had received alerts on the truck and Castro related to a prior ammunition smuggling incident.

In an initial inspection of the Silverado, CBP found a bag in the front seat that contained a loaded .22 caliber revolver. After further inspection, authorities found two high-capacity Glock firearm magazines, four regular-capacity Glock firearm magazines and one .22 caliber Walther firearm magazine.

The firearms and ammunition found were designated on the United States Commerce Control list as prohibited by law for export from the U.S. into Mexico without a valid license.

Castro did not have a license or any other lawful authority to export any of the items from the U.S. to Mexico, according to a DOJ press release.