TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - A Phoenix woman has been sentenced to 2 ½ years in federal prison for trying to smuggle assault rifles, ammunition and machine gun components into Mexico.
Federal prosecutors say 26-year-old Ariana Alexa Ramirez received a 30-month prison term Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Tucson.
Her co-defendant also pleaded guilty and previously was sentenced to 46 months in prison.
Prosecutors say the defendants smuggled weapons and ammunition into Mexico on multiple prior occasions.
The two purchased bulk ammunition at a store in Phoenix last March 26 and were stopped the next day by agents at the Nogales Port of Entry while attempting to drive into Mexico.
Hidden inside their vehicle were two AK-47 style assault rifles, nearly 3,000 rounds of ammunition and a disassembled tripod mount for a machine gun.
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