4,550 rounds of ammunition found inside stolen vehicle by Pinal County Sheriff's Office

STANFIELD, AZ - Authorities discovered over 4,500 rounds of ammunition inside an abandoned vehicle they had tracked into the desert after a traffic stop pursuit Sunday night.

According to Pinal County Sheriff's Office, a deputy was patrolling Interstate 8 around 9 p.m. when he saw a vehicle leaving Stanfield, Ariz. on Highway 84.

A police report states that the vehicle had been registered stolen Friday by the Phoenix Police Department, so the deputy conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle.

The car proceeded to pull off the road into the desert, but Gila River Police and Bureau of Land Management officials helped track down the car about a mile away from the road.

The car had been abandoned, but inside were 4,550 rounds of .38 caliber Super+P handgun ammunition, according to officials.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said he believes the car was to be used as a restocking vehicle for "unlawful/smuggling purposes" and said that type of ammunition is the most powerful cartridge for civilians in Mexico.