Del Rio Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a previously deported Mexican national with an allegedly stolen pistol.

Comstock Station agents stopped to help out a National Park Service ranger who encountered a suspect. After conducting an immigration interview, the agents determined the 40-year-old Mexican man was illegally in the U.S.

The agents arrested the Mexican national for being illegally present in the U.S. During a search of the subject, the agents say they found a loaded .380 pistol. The agents questioned the man and learned he had stolen the pistol from a nearby ranch, according to information obtained from Del Rio Sector Border Patrol officials.

The agents transported the illegal alien to the Comstock Station for processing and a biometric background investigation. During the records search, the agents learned the ma had been deported from Atlanta in 2010.

“Illegal aliens possessing concealed firearms pose a great risk to law enforcement and our communities,” Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul L. Ortiz said in a written statement. “Thankfully the pistol was secured without incident.”

Del Rio Sector agents have increasingly been finding armed illegal aliens and human smugglers.

In January, Del Rio Sector agents found an armed human smuggler at an interior checkpoint near Eagle Pass, Texas. Officials identified the driver as a 22-year-old male U.S. citizen. They also identified the passenger as a 21-year-old male U.S. citizen. Both accused smugglers are reported to be from Crystal City, Texas. A search of the vehicle uncovered a loaded .40 caliber Smith & Wesson pistol concealed under the driver’s seat, Breitbart Texas reported.

In early November, Brackettville Station agents arrested a 46-year-old twice deported Honduran man on a ranch frequently utilized by human smugglers to circumvent a nearby immigration checkpoint. A search of the area uncovered a backpack belonging to the Honduran national. Agents found a .22 caliber revolver inside the backpack.