TUCSON, Ariz. β A man convicted of trying to smuggle 5,000 rounds of ammunition from Nogales, Arizona, into Mexico was sentenced to more than seven years in prison.
Authorities say 41-year-old Gabriel Rivero tried to bring the ammunition into Mexico in February 2016, but a spare tire on his truck where the bullets were hidden fell to the ground while at a port of entry in Nogales.
Officials say Rivero got out of the truck and tried to retrieve the tire, but abandoned it after he was unable to pick it up.
After he drove into Mexico, a border officer discovered the ammunition hidden in the tire.
Rivero, who lives in Nogales, was detained by authorities when he returned to the United States a month later.
He was sentenced on Monday.
