NASCAR driver Kyle Busch apologized for the ‘mistake’ of bringing a handgun to Mexico, which resulted in a brief detainment and a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence that he mysteriously seems to have evaded.
Busch released a statement Monday after the Mexico Prosecutor General’s office announced that a foreign national named ‘Kyle Thomas ”B”’ was arrested at Cancun International Airport on January 27. The individual was traveling back to the United States when airport security detected the .38 caliber handgun and hollow-tip bullets in his luggage, according to a press release.
The Mexican National Guard was called and the individual was charged with carrying a gun without a license and illegal possession of ammunition. Two days later, the American was sentenced by a Mexican judge to three years and six months in prison, as well as an $1,100 fine.
A Nevada native with the middle name of ‘Thomas,’ Busch acknowledged Monday that it was he who was detained, writing in a statement that he considers the matter ‘closed.’ It’s not clear how the Mexican government plans to enforce Busch’s sentence, considering he is already back in the US having raced on Sunday in Los Angeles.
‘When it was discovered, I fully cooperated with the authorities, accepted the penalties, and returned to North Carolina,’ wrote Busch, who drives for the North Carolina-based Richard Childress Racing.
Kyle Busch and his wife, Samantha, are seen prior to his reported detainment in Cancun
NASCAR driver Kyle Busch apologized for the ‘mistake’ of bringing a handgun to Mexico, which resulted in a brief detainment and a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence that he mysteriously seems to have evaded
It remains unclear if Busch faces any discipline in Mexico, although NASCAR will not be punishing him, according to NBC Sports.
NASCAR spokespeople did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for further information.
According to Busch, he simply forgot about his handgun, which wasn’t discovered until he was returning from Cancun, where he and his wife were vacationing.
‘I have a valid concealed carry permit from my local authority and adhere to all handgun laws, but I made a mistake by forgetting it was in my bag,’ Busch wrote in his statement.
‘I was not aware of Mexican law,’ he continued, ‘and had no intention of bringing a handgun into Mexico. … I apologize for my mistake and appreciate the respect shown by all parties as we resolved the matter.’
Busch finished third in NASCAR’s Clash exhibition race at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Days earlier, his wife posted a picture of themselves at a resort in the Cancun area.
Kyle and I decided after a crazy, busy, stressful last year to take a few days away just ourselves to relax before the season started,’ Busch’s wife, Samantha, wrote on Instagram.
‘That’s a 2023 goal for us- to focus on de stressing and our word for the year is positivity! This was one of the first times leaving the kiddos, we missed them the entire time but needed the downtime for sure to focus on each other. Now we’re ready for the season!’
The 2023 campaign is Busch’s first with Childress after leaving Joe Gibbs racing at the end of the 2022 season.
Busch (right) finished third in NASCAR’s Clash exhibition race at the LA Coliseum on Sunday
ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue9Kppquso2S7or%2FCmqlmnKKew6a%2BjKSwpZ1dl8K0r8dmmKmnnKS0qsbErGSanqSav26uxKKloGWUmsGitc2em2ahnmK6psTInKZmp6aav260wKeboK2eZA%3D%3D