BATFE - Project Gunrunner

[Paslode]

An interesting critque from the DOJ Office of Inspector General on the BATFE and the gun trade on the Southern Border.


http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/se...OIG_report.pdf

[dr. mabuse]

That is interesting. So, per the ATF, the drug traffickers consider the U.S. as a " primary source of weapons...".

So, all of the RPG 7's, MG's, and other little unique toys found south-o-the-border are from local gun shops?

[Ambush Master]

Originally Posted by dr. mabuse

That is interesting. So, per the ATF, the drug traffickers consider the U.S. as a " primary source of weapons...".

So, all of the RPG 7's, MG's, and other little unique toys found south-o-the-border are from local gun shops?

I concur!!

The "Fully Automatic" weapons that are being used, COULD NOT BE COMMING FROM HERE!!! They are either, and most probably, comming from the Mexican Military or from other Central or South American Countries that do not have as tight of control as they would like us to believe!!

Later.
Martin

[Paslode]

Originally Posted by dr. mabuse

That is interesting. So, per the ATF, the drug traffickers consider the U.S. as a " primary source of weapons...".

So, all of the RPG 7's, MG's, and other little unique toys found south-o-the-border are from local gun shops?

A June 2009 Government Accountability Office report estimated
that trace data was submitted to ATF on less than a quarter of the guns
seized in Mexico. Further, most trace requests that are submitted to ATF
from Mexico are considered “unsuccessful” because of missing or improperly entered gun data. Although ATF has provided Mexican law enforcement with training in firearms identification, we found the percentage of total trace requests that succeed has declined since the start of Project
Gunrunner. However, few of the traces that do succeed provide usable
information because guns submitted for tracing often were seized by
Mexican officials years before the trace requests were submitted. In such
cases, the time at which a gun was transferred illegally may be outside the
statute of limitations and charges cannot be brought against those
responsible. We determined that Mexican law enforcement authorities do not view gun tracing as an important investigative tool for them.

Almost sounds like the Mexicans aren't much interested in curbing the problem....but they sure enjoy our drug war subsidies.

[The Reaper]

The frags are mostly Korean.

Could be from the Mexican Army, I suppose, if that is their source as well.

TR

[Paslode]

by JACQUES BILLEAUD
Associated Press

PHOENIX -- A U.S. senator is examining a claim that two guns sold in purchases sanctioned by federal firearms agents were later used in a December shootout that left a Border Patrol agent dead near the Arizona-Mexico border.

Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa said in a letter provided Monday to The Associated Press he had received information that appears to partially corroborate the claim received by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee about the guns.

"Members of the Judiciary Committee have received numerous allegations that the ATF sanctioned the sale of hundreds of assault weapons to suspected straw buyers, who then allegedly transported these weapons throughout the Southwest border area and into Mexico," reads a letter sent Thursday from Grassley to Kenneth Melson, acting director of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The letter does not elaborate on the role possible of federal agents in the sale of the guns, and it could not be determined if the purchases were part of a sting operation.

ATF spokesman Tom Mangan declined to comment. Grassley spokeswoman Beth Pellett Levine declined to comment on the senator's letter to Melson.

Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry was waiting with other agents on Dec. 14 in a canyon near the Arizona border city of Nogales when a shootout with bandits erupted.

Terry was part of an elite squad similar to a police SWAT team that was sent to the canyon 13 miles north of the border known for robberies, drug smuggling and violence.

No other agents were injured in the attack. The six suspects were being held on felony immigration charges and haven't been charged in Terry's death. All have made court appearances, but authorities declined to release their identities and hometowns.

FBI spokesman Manuel Johnson declined to comment on the investigation into Terry's death. The agency declined an earlier Freedom of Information Act request by The Associated Press to release reports and other records of the investigation.

Grassley said in a letter Thursday that a buyer purchased three assault rifles with cash more than a year ago in Glendale, Ariz., and two of those guns were used in the shootout in Arizona.

"These extremely serious allegations were accompanied by detailed documentation which appears to lend credibility to the claims and partially corroborates them," Grassley wrote.

In the follow-up letter to Melson, Grassley said an ATF manager in Phoenix questioned an agent who answered questions posed by Grassley staffers about the agency's initiative to reduce the flow of firearms to Mexico.

The manager accused the agent of misconduct for his contacts with the judiciary committee, Grassley said.

"This is exactly the wrong sort of reaction for the ATF," Grassley wrote. "Rather than focusing on retaliating against whistleblowers, the ATF's sole focus should be on finding and disclosing the truth as soon as possible."

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/3...#ixzz1ChmzSkGG

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/3...-claim-in.html

*

[sinjefe]

The truth is that the we "spin" the numbers on seizures to make it look like the majority of weapons seized in Mexico are coming from the US. They are not, as only a fraction of the guns seized are actually ever traced:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009...-mexico-come/#

Almost 70% of seied guns are never traced by Mexican authorities. They only trace guns that, A) they believe have a nexus to cross border crime and, B) That they think they may be able to successfully prosecute. When compared with previous postings about Mexico's judicial system where only 2% of all crimes committed actually lead to a successful prosecution, one can see that these numbers (relating to US guns) is miniscule and worthless. Since I work with the Mexican Military, I have had the opportunity to informally query senior MX officers and their opinion, though anecdotal, is that the majority of the guns they seize are coming from Central America, leftovers from the Cold War conflicts in Guatemala and El Salvador. While I personally don't have any information one way or the other, one can only imagine why we would want to keep that one quiet.

[Dusty]

To state the obvious, if the press can get Americans to believe that nonsense, the gun control push is facilitated.

[DaveMatteson]

If you get a chance, watch National Geographic's Border Wars. It is a great look into what the Customs and Border Patrol guys have to deal with on a daily basis. One of the episodes in the first season was an encounter with the Mexican Army which one of the Border Patrol Specialists said could either go very good or very bad. One show talks about why they made stones deadly weapons.

On the funny side are episodes like the 300lb American man hiding his 200lb 4ft tall Mexican girlfriend under the bench seat of the small pick-up he is driving. She is packed in a tight ball under the seat he is sitting on. Then there are the idiots.

Customs Agent: Hey how are you today?
Idiot: Good, but its a hot ass day....
Customs Agent: Yeah, I have to wear this all daygotanypot?
Idiot: Yeah I got 60........shit.....

In most cases they show the drug sweeps and the illegals crossing. I think they did one show on a weapons seizure. Usually what ends up in the news ends up in an episode and you get to see, in some cases, what really happened.

[Paslode]

Originally Posted by DaveMatteson

Usually what ends up in the news ends up in an episode and you get to see, in some cases, what really happened.

I kind of doubt that ATF Agents setting up straw purchases and a Border Agent getting killed from one of those ATF inspired straw purchased weapons finds it way to NatGeo.

[DaveMatteson]

Originally Posted by Paslode

I kind of doubt that ATF Agents setting up straw purchases and a Border Agent getting killed from one of those ATF inspired straw purchased weapons finds it way to NatGeo.

Whether they were a "straw purchase" or not I have no idea. I do know during a couple of the shows they had ATF working with CBP in Nogales-Mariposa Port of Entry. One of the grabs was a car carrying 15-20 AKs with about 100 magazines and something like 6000 rounds of ammo. The driver was a Mexican National who fled but was captured. The incident with Terry was aired as well as the search that ensued.

As for the dealer compliance inspections, I wonder if the ATF went back to X-Caliber?

[Go Devil]

Phoenix-area gun store, ATF sting may be linked to border shootout
Senator links gun buy to border agent's death

by Dennis Wagner - Feb. 1, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic


Bandits who gunned down a U.S. Border Patrol agent during a December firefight near Nogales may have been armed with assault rifles purchased from a Valley gun store in conjunction with a federal sting operation and subsequently smuggled into Mexico, according to a key member of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
In letters to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, suggests that negligence by federal agents who failed to keep the firearms out of Mexico may have played a part in the slaying of Agent Brian Terry, a member of the Border Patrol's elite tactical unit known as BORTAC.
Grassley said he had information that the AK-47s recovered at the shooting scene were traced to Project Gunrunner, an ATF program designed to stem the illegal flow of U.S. guns to Mexican narcotics cartels. It is not unusual for law-enforcement agents to allow illegal transactions to occur so that they can follow contraband, identifying ringleaders and key players in organized-crime organizations.
"Members of the Judiciary Committee have received numerous allegations that the ATF sanctioned the sale of hundreds of assault weapons to suspected straw purchasers, who then allegedly transported these weapons throughout the southwestern border area and into Mexico," the senator wrote in a letter Thursday to acting ATF Director Kenneth Melson.
"According to the allegations, one of these individuals purchased three assault rifles with cash in Glendale, Arizona, on January 16, 2010. Two of the weapons were then allegedly used in a firefight on December 14, 2010, against Customs and Border Protection agents, killing CBP Agent Brian Terry."
A source within the justice system familiar with the case confirmed to The Arizona Republic last week that one or two weapons recovered from the border shootout had been traced to Lone Wolf Trading Co., a Glendale gun store, but did not confirm they were part of Project Gunrunner.
Terry and his teammates were hunting for rip crews, robbers who target illegal immigrants and smugglers, when they spotted five armed men near Rio Rico. The Republic source, who requested anonymity, said BORTAC agents called out, "Policia!" and attempted to arrest the suspects. When the shooting started, the source said, agents returned fire with non-lethal bean bags, then bullets.
One suspect was wounded, but four others ran off in the confusion, disappearing into the night. Agents swarmed the area and conducted a search, locating several men who claimed to be illegal immigrants unconnected to the gunbattle. According to the justice-system source, FBI agents now believe that those detainees were telling the truth and that four assailants escaped across the border.
Six weeks after the murder, no one has been charged, although the source said an indictment was expected against the wounded suspect.
Grassley has requested a briefing from the ATF, adding that he had received documentation in support of the allegations.
"There are serious concerns that the ATF may have become careless, if not negligent, in implementing the Gunrunner strategy," he wrote.
ATF Director Melson could not be reached for comment Monday.
Tom Mangan, an ATF spokesman in Phoenix, said he was "unaware of any guns allowed to go south of the border," either intentionally or inadvertently. "I am not aware of any internal investigation that's going on regarding Project Gunrunner."
Manuel Johnson, an FBI agent in Phoenix, declined to comment, as did the U.S. Border Patrol.
At a Phoenix news conference last week, the ATF and the U.S. Attorney's Office announced indictments of 34 people in connection with firearms smuggling to Mexico. Bill Newell, ATF special agent in charge for Arizona, said five separate cases, all part of Project Gunrunner, demonstrate the corruptive reach of Mexican cartels using straw buyers to acquire guns in Arizona for illegal shipment south.
After the news conference, Newell was asked if agents purposely allowed firearms to enter Mexico as part of an investigation. He answered, "Hell no."
However, he said, suspects under surveillance sometimes elude agents, which could result in guns winding up in Mexico.
Although Grassley's letter does not specify which Glendale store sold the assault rifles used in the shooting, transaction details match information in a 53-count indictment against Jaime Avila, identified as the leader of one Arizona smuggling ring.
In a statement Monday, Lone Wolf owner Andre Hunter said he has been cooperating with authorities. "We have worked closely in conjunction with several federal agencies," Hunter wrote.

[tonyz]

This story could have been added to a number of threads on similar topics - mods please move if you prefer.

Mexico's Gun Supply and the 90 Percent Myth
February 10, 2011 | 0951 GMT

Read more: Mexico's Gun Supply and the 90 Percent Myth | STRATFOR

http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20110...2008b349cfa389

Excerpt:

By Scott Stewart

"For several years now, STRATFOR has been closely watching developments in Mexico that relate to what we consider the three wars being waged there. Those three wars are the war between the various drug cartels, the war between the government and the cartels and the war being waged against citizens and businesses by criminals.

In addition to watching tactical developments of the cartel wars on the ground and studying the dynamics of the conflict among the various warring factions, we have also been paying close attention to the ways that both the Mexican and U.S. governments have reacted to these developments. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects to watch has been the way in which the Mexican government has tried to deflect responsibility for the cartel wars away from itself and onto the United States. According to the Mexican government, the cartel wars are not a result of corruption in Mexico or of economic and societal dynamics that leave many Mexicans marginalized and desperate to find a way to make a living. Instead, the cartel wars are due to the insatiable American appetite for narcotics and the endless stream of guns that flows from the United States into Mexico and that results in Mexican violence.

Interestingly, the part of this argument pertaining to guns has been adopted by many politicians and government officials in the United States in recent years. It has now become quite common to hear U.S. officials confidently assert that 90 percent of the weapons used by the Mexican drug cartels come from the United States. However, a close examination of the dynamics of the cartel wars in Mexico — and of how the oft-echoed 90 percent number was reached — clearly demonstrates that the number is more political rhetoric than empirical fact."

[mark46th]

After having worked in Mexico, I can verify the"It's not my fault" mentality.

Now following the logic of the United Sates being at fault for the drug wars because of drug use in the U.S., couldn't the same logic be applied to the Mexican appetite for fire arms?

[incarcerated]

Originally Posted by tonyz

Mexico's Gun Supply and the 90 Percent Myth

From the article: