Two men who were arrested in Abbotsford last December in a van carrying $250,000 cash and a 9 mm handgun have each been sentenced to 25 months in prison.
Miguel Aguilar Gonzalez, 38, and Pablo Daniel Gonzalez Gonzalez, 34, of Mexico each were found guilty of three of the eight charges they faced. Minus the time they have already served since their arrest, they have 16 months left on their sentence.
They were sentenced in Abbotsford provincial court for possessing property obtained by crime and for two immigration-related offences – failure to appear to determine right to enter Canada, and failing to answer questions truthfully.
Other charges were stayed, including possession of a prohibited firearm, importing/exporting a firearm and illegally possessing ammunition.
The two were arrested on Dec. 14, 2012 after an Abbotsford Police bike squad officer spotted a white mini van travelling slowly along the Canada-U.S. border in the Sumas Prairie area.
The officer noticed several people in the van, including two men wearing camouflaged clothing.
Officers then stopped the vehicle at Vye and Whatcom roads and discovered that there were two Canadian and two Mexican citizens inside the van.
Also found were a 9 mm handgun with a fully loaded magazine, $250,000 in U.S. currency, and a substantial amount of Canadian funds.
The two Mexican men were transferred to Canada Border Services Agency custody after their arrest.
The alleged driver of the vehicle, Luis Rodolfo Guerra Alvarez of Canada, has been charged with one count of aiding and abetting, and his trial has been set for March 2014 in Abbotsford provincial court.