A U.S. resident charged with smuggling following the March discovery of firearms in a northbound vehicle at the Pacific Highway border has been sentenced to more than two years in jail.

According to a , Jonathan Ressler learned his penalty on April 26, 2023. He was handed a 30-month prison term after pleading guilty to the possession of loaded, restricted and prohibited firearms without a license.

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Ressler was arrested on March 19, 2023, after border services officers found two loaded pistols and four prohibited over-capacity magazines during a search of his vehicle. One of the pistols was a prohibited firearm while the other was a restricted firearm.

Nina Patel, director general for CBSA鈥檚 Pacific Region, said she is proud of the efforts by CBSA officers and investigators on such cases.

鈥淏y preventing and investigating smuggling attempts, we鈥檙e reducing the risk of harm to Canadians,鈥� Patel said in the release.

CBSA logged a record number of such seizures in 2021-2022, intercepting more than 1,200 firearms 鈥� the most recorded in a single year, the release notes.

Ressler has been in custody since his arrest.