PHOENIX — A Mexican man was sentenced to over seven years in prison for smuggling firearms and other weapons out of Arizona, authorities said.

Jesus Angel Vasquez Balganon, 33, exported the firearms between March of 2018 and January of 2021, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

Authorities recovered some of those firearms in Mexico. Vasquez Balganon also exported ammunition, weapons components and accessories, prosecutors said.

How was Mexican man who smuggled guns from Arizona caught?

Authorities arrested Vasquez Balganon when he tried smuggling high-capacity magazines at the Nogales port of entry on April 6, 2021.

Exporting firearms, weapons components, magazines, ammunition and accessories like these require a valid license, which Vasquez Balganon and his co-conspirators did not have, prosecutors said.

They also had no lawful authority whatsoever to bring these items from Arizona to Mexico.

Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol found a hidden shopping bag with 30 AR-15 guns with 30-round, 5.56 caliber high-capacity magazines, prosecutors said. He told officers he expected to be paid $100 for smuggling the weapons.

Prior to this arrest, he had a total of 67 firearms he had exported or tried to export. Some of these weapons included a machine gun, a Century Arms WASR rifle and an AK-103 style firearm.

In addition to that, he also was connected to smuggling or trying to smuggle 20,000 rounds of ammunition, 208 magazines and ammunition links to Mexico.

Vasquez Balganon was also guilty of money laundering, prosecutors said.

He told authorities he transferred over $20,000 from a U.S. bank to a Mexican bank from February 2019 to March 2021 to pay for the illegal smuggling.

What charges did Mexican man who smuggled guns from Arizona face?

Vasquez Balganon pleaded guilty to smuggling goods from the U.S. and international money laundering on March 14, prosecutors said.

After his 85-month prison sentence, he will also spend three years of supervised release. Additionally, the court served him a $97,229 order of forfeiture.

The 2024 season is officially in the books for Arizona, and it was a bad one. At 4-8 overall and 2-7 in the inaugural year in the Big 12, the Wildcats saw their win total plummet by six games from the 10-3 mark of 2023, matching the largest season-over-season decrease in school history.

Looking at the UA’s Pro Football Focus grades, it’s easy to see why, as Arizona dipped in almost every category.

The Wildcats’ season grade of 75.6 ranked 104^th out of 134 FBS schools, down from the 90.8 in 2023 that was tied for 16th-best. A year after having the 8th-best offense in the country, Arizona ranked 83^rd, and on defense it went from 54^th to 123^rd.

Only the UA’s special teams grade improved, thanks mostly to kicker Tyler Loop and his NFL leg. The Wildcats ranked 48^th after being 62^nd last season.

The UA’s best-graded game this fall was the first one, the 61-39 victory over New Mexico in Brent Brennan’s debut, which earned an 88.7. The worst: 50.6 for the 56-12 loss at UCF, the program’s lowest-graded game since 2021.

While there were many factors that contributed to the rough 2024 season, one that played a big role was injuries and other circumstances that kept players out of action. Only 12 offensive and defensive starters from the opener logged at least half the snaps for the season, with the starting 11 on defense playing only 49.4 percent of snaps.

Defensive captains Jacob Manu, Gunner Maldonado and Treydan Stukes, each of whom suffered season-ending injuries, combined for only 743 snaps in 2024 compared to 2,129 last year.

Below is a breakdown of how Arizona’s players graded individually.

Offense

Most snaps: LT Jonah Savaiinaea (738 of 744), QB Noah Fifita (729), LG Wendell Moe Jr. (702), C Josh Baker (677), WR Tetairoa McMillan (669)

Highest overall grades (at least 100 snaps): McMillan (84.7 on 669 snaps), Fifita (75.9 on 729), Savaiinaea (74.2 on 738), RB Quali Conley (74.0 on 505), TE Keyan Burnett (73.9 on 287)

Best passing grades: McMillan (85.4 on 455 passing snaps), Fifita (73.4 on 479), Burnett (71.4 on 186), WR Chris Hunter (67,4 on 244), Conley (63.1 on 223)

Best pass-blocking grades: OL Leif Magnuson (90.1 on 51 pass-blocking snaps), Moe (86.0 on 453), Baker (84.2 on 449), Savaiinaea (83.4 on 478), OL Alexander Doost (76.0 on 370)

Best running grades: Conley (77.0 on 145 run snaps), RB Kedrick Reescano (74.1 on 68)

Best run-blocking grades: FB Kayden Luke (77.0 on 28 run-blocking snaps), Burnett (74.3 on 86), TE Tyler Powell (67.2 on 43), TE Roberto Miranda (65.2 on 102), Hunter (63.9 on 105)

Defense

Most snaps: DB Genesis Smith (749 of 804), LB Taye Brown (704), CB Tacario Davis (684), S Dalton Johnson (681), DB Owen Goss (583)

Highest overall grades (at least 100 snaps): G Smith (71.9 on 749 snaps), CB Treydan Stukes (70.7 on 195), DE Tre Smith (70.2 on 566), Goss (66.8 on 583), S Gunner Maldonado (64.1 on 190)

Best tackling grades: CB Demetrius Freeney (81.0 on 69 snaps), Davis (77.0 on 684), DT Chubba Ma’ae (76.5 on 139), DE Lance Keneley (74.0 on 217), D Johnson (70.4 on 681)

Best run defense grades: Stukes (73.5 on 77 run defense snaps), G Smith (72.1 on 349), DE Sterling Lane II (69.9 on 89), DT Kevon Darton (69.7 on 80), Maldonado (68.7 on 76)

Best pass rushing grades: Brown (71.8 on 68 pass rushing snaps), T Smith (70.9 on 306), DL Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei (67.4 on 292), DE Chase Kennedy (66.2 on 168), Keneley (63.6 on 94)

Best coverage grades: Kennedy (76.3 on 33 coverage snaps), G Smith (71.7 on 394), Stukes (69.7 on 117), LB Kamuela Ka’aihue (69.3 on 50), Goss (65.8 on 276)

Special teams

Most snaps: Ka’aihue (177), Jack Luttrell (154), Gavin Hunter (141), Brown (140), Tyler Mustain (137)

Best overall grades: G Smith (76.2 on 133 snaps), Mustain (75.8 on 137), Goss (75.1 on 94), Rex Haynes (74.1 on 71), K Luke (71.5 on 72)

A child has died after being struck by part of a statue at the Arizona Biltmore resort in Phoenix on Nov. 27.

Phoenix firefighters responded around 9 a.m. that day after receiving reports of an injured child at the hotel located near 24th Street and Camelback Road.

The 8-year-old was rushed to the hospital where he later died.

Capt. Todd Keller with the Phoenix Fire Department said part of the concrete statue fell on the boy, resulting in a head injury.

It is unknown what caused the statue to fall and whether the child was with a parent or guardian. Officials said foul play was not involved.

“We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at the hotel earlier this morning,” a spokesperson from the hotel said in a statement sent to the Arizona Republic on Nov. 27. “Our top priority is the safety and security of our guests, and our thoughts are with the family impacted by today’s events.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.