Kyle Busch was detained at a Mexican airport late last month after a handgun and ammunition were discovered in his luggage, the NASCAR star admitted this week, apologising and calling the incident “a mistake.”
Busch was sentenced to 312 years in prison and a $1,000 fine for possessing a firearm and ammunition earlier this month by a judge in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, which is home to the beach resorts of Cancun and Tulum.
According to the federal attorney general’s office, the judge decided on conditional punishment and allowed Busch to leave Mexico after he paid a bond. The office did not disclose the amount he paid.
Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion and the Cup Series’ winningest active driver, addressed the situation on social media on Monday. “I have a valid concealed carry permit from my local authority and adhere to all handgun laws,” he said,
Kyle Busch
“but I made a mistake by forgetting it was in my bag.” Because of the discovery of the handgun, I was detained while the situation was resolved. I had no intention of bringing a handgun into Mexico because I was unaware of Mexican law “Busch penned. “When the truth was revealed, I cooperated fully with the authorities, accepted the penalties, and returned to North Carolina.
“I apologise for my error and appreciate the respect shown by all parties as we worked through the situation. My family and I consider this matter resolved.”
According to a NASCAR spokesperson, Busch informed the sanctioning body of the incident and will not face any punishment. Busch is in his first season with Richard Childress Racing and finished third in his debut, a preseason exhibition race at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday night.
Richard Childress, the team owner of Kyle Busch’s new car, is an avid hunter and NRA m
ember.
Busch was apprehended by the National Guard on January 27 while attempting to leave Cancun’s international airport. A scan of his luggage at the private aircraft terminal revealed a.380 calibre pistol.
According to the attorney general’s office, he was shot six times with hollow-point bullets.
On January 29, Busch appeared before a judge, who ruled that the arrest was legal. According to the statement, Busch was sentenced on February 3.
The judge will then schedule another hearing to determine the details of Busch’s conditional punishment and where he will pay the fine. He could avoid further incarceration.
The right to own a handgun and hunting rifle for self-defense and sport is guaranteed by Mexico’s constitution, but there are significant bureaucratic hurdles to obtaining a legally registered handgun, and the military is the only legal seller. However, the country is rife with illegal firearms, the majority of which are purchased in the United States and smuggled into Mexico.
Busch and his family were inside the Mall of America last August.
When shots were fired in the Minneapolis suburbs. They were able to leave the mall safely.