NASCAR driver Kyle Busch was recently arrested on weapons charges in Mexico and has subsequently been convicted and sentenced to 3.5 years in prison and a fine. The incident occurred at the end of January when Busch, who had been on vacation, forgot to remove his handgun from his bag before attempting to leave the country.
Last week, the Mexico Prosecutor General’s Office reported that they had convicted “Kyle Thomas B” of bringing a firearm across the border despite holding a valid concealed carry permit from his local jurisdiction. Busch maintained that he was not aware of Mexican law and did not plan to bring the weapon into Mexico.
However, shortly after Busch released a statement of his own, which detailed the incident and accepted full responsibility for it, the name in the prosecutor’s office statement changed to “Kyle ‘N.'” According to the prosecutor general’s office statement, Kyle ‘N’ was credited with full responsibility for carrying a firearm without a license and possession of cartridges meant only for military use.
The incident took place on January 27th when private security personnel at Cancun International Airport detected a .380 caliber pistol-type firearm with six hollow point cartridges inside Busch’s luggage as it passed through their x-ray machine. The National Guard promptly detained him while the situation was resolved and shortly after presented him before a Control Judge on January 29th who described the detention as legal. A sentence followed shortly thereafter by way of an abbreviated procedure.
Busch issued an apology via social media for his mistake saying that he fully cooperated with authorities throughout proceedings and accepted all penalties related to this incident. He concluded by saying that he considers this issue closed now that he has returned back home to North Carolina with his family. There is currently no word yet on whether or not Busch will be required to serve any time in prison for this offense.