LEWISTON, N.Y. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Entry seized a firearm in a commercial vehicle that was encountered at the Lewiston Bridge border crossing, according to a news release.
CBP says its officers encountered a commercial truck operated by a 62-year-old United States citizen. The driver was attempting to travel to Michigan with a commercial shipment and followed his GPS device inadvertently to the Canadian border but lacked paperwork to travel through Canada. The driver was denied entry into Canada and returned to the United States where upon initial examination he declared a firearm and was subsequently escorted for a secondary examination.
During the secondary examination, officers located the Hi-Point C9 semi-automatic 9mm pistol along with forty rounds of 9mm ammunition. It was determined that the driver, who currently resides in the state of Louisiana, unlawfully possessed the firearm due to prior felony convictions prohibiting possession of firearms.
“Our CBP Officers maintain their vigilance while screening travelers entering the United States,” said Area Port Director Gaetano Cordone. “Together with our State and Local partners, we were successful in arresting this felon and removing a firearm off our streets.”
The driver was taken into custody and subsequently processed by CBP officers. After processing, the firearm and driver were turned over to the New York State Police facing a felony charge for criminal possession of a weapon.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
