Illegal gun nabbed at border

U.S. Border Patrol agents successfully thwarted an attempt to smuggle a semiautomatic handgun into Mexico, the agency reported Friday.

Agents arrested a Mexican citizen who tried to pass through southbound inspections Thursday at the San Luis port of entry, according to a Border Patrol news statement.

A Browning .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun was concealed in the subject's waistband, according to the statement. The subject was living in the United States as a legally admitted resident alien but did not have the proper documentation to carry a concealed weapon or export a firearm.

Firearms and ammunition are illegal in Mexico.

Since April, the Border Patrol's Yuma Station has seized weapons, firearms parts, ammunition and more than $20,000 during southbound inspections along the Mexico border. Agents have also apprehended 166 illegal aliens, according to the statement.

The Border Patrol explained that by seizing weapons and cash before they can cross the border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection ensures that these items will not be used for criminal activity in Mexico.