Weapons such as the M82 are part of a torrent of illegal arms flowing south, Mexico alleges, partly due to the manufacturers negligent business practices that had encouraged illegal arms trafficking. Theycould each face up to 10 years in prison. Workers repair the facade of City Hall riddled with bullet holes in Villa Union, Mexico, in December 2019, after a gun battle between a heavily armed drug cartel assault group and security forces. The Medellin cartel surged to power in the 1980s. Given the record number of murders there last year almost 36,000 Mexicans could certainly use some self-defense tools. Some suspects won't talk after their arrests and othersadmit smuggling guns but claim they don't know the names of the buyers or the cartel involved. "These kids weren't sketchy looking dudes; they were all clean-cut, and some were Hispanic. Build the wall. The majority of U.S. states allow citizens to buy .50-caliber weapons . Why havent you established large numbers of military personnel inspecting every truck, train, cargo ship, private boat and aircraft entering the country? A museum in Mexico City has dozens of seized paraphilia on display. 24 of 29 25 of 29 A handgun covered with gold and money sized to alleged financial agent of the drug "Cartel . it would help a great deal if the U.S. had much tighter gun control and drug enforcement.. That figures to 17.6 percent of the 29,000 figure for guns seized in Mexico, as given by the country's attorney general. All the illegal purchases followed the same basic pattern, "They would always call, because they always wanted to know the exact amount ahead of time -- usually same day -- and make sure we had one in stock. Of theguns used in crimes in Mexico and traced back to the United States, about 41% camefrom Texas, he said. Other than "buying the same $10,000 gun multiple times" and "paying in whale-choking bundles of cash," there was nothing particularly shady about the dudes making these straw purchases. All Rights Reserved, Fed raises interest rates by 0.5%, the highest rise since 2000, Here are the 14 inductees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The tribes in America are not allowed to do things like that, instead they have to follow 3 sets of laws, otherwise a lot of white Americans would move to the reservations for some liberty. These guys aren't stupid. You have entered an incorrect email address! Theyre American-made guns, Sotomayor told the Union-Tribune. Homeland Security teamed with the ATF tolauncha confidential tip line asking for help from the public, displaying the number on about 200 billboards near the border,asking for information on illegal guns bound for Mexico. All wars are fought with weapons, and the guns used to murder tens of thousands of people in the Mexican War on Drugs mostly come from America.From handguns,. Earlier in the week, more than one . An admirer of Colombian crime boss Pablo Escobar places flowers on his . In any case, "the trace itself doesn't tell you anything,"' said Lawrence Keane, general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Newtown, Conn.-based firearms industry trade group. "We've got agents and we've got trained criminal investigators from the host government in Mexico working investigations in Mexico," he said. For our source, who did nothing but exactly what the law told him, watching the bloody aftermath of the scandal was traumatic: "Our initial thought was how many of these can be pointed across the border at our guys? In 2018, the homicide rate in Mexico hit a record high of 35,964, spiking 12 percent from the year before, according to the countrys National Institute of Statistics and Geography. Enough-time for real action. So, the ATF was like, "We'll show you! MEXICO: Stop the flow of Immigrants going north and maybe we will do something about guns going south across the border. There were undercover agents in the store, sometimes. The Chicago study proved guns used in crime were often at least 11 years old and had passed through many hands making it impossible to trace them to the person that used them in a crime. No it could not be right. You never cease to make an absolute fool of yourself. This is another valid reason to vet second hand gun purchases because there often is no paper trail with second hand guns, especially guns that have been sold over and over again second hand. Sorry, man -- at least 150 Mexican civilians have been hurt or killed by weapons the ATF let enter Mexico. NEW YORK (AP) A former Mexican presidential cabinet member was convicted in the U.S. on Tuesday of taking massive bribes to protect the violent drug cartels he was tasked with combating. We know theyre being illegally trafficked through California into Tijuana.. In Mexico City, the military has a museum used to train officials, diplomats, and cadets about the war on drugs. And yes the California shooter did have a vetted gun but the point being made is that without uniform vetting laws funneling second hand guns into Mexico is a piece of cake. The federal report also concluded that of 2,921 traced guns, 1,470, or 50 percent, were from Texas. Man, how awful am I gonna feel if one of these guys gets plugged with a weapon I sold? Investigators found several guns inside the packages, as well as in a secret compartment in the paneling. But, gradually, their suspicions began to pile up " then, we started getting more and more phone calls over the weeks. Two women were killed in the crossfire when rival gangs started shooting at a popular sidewalk restaurant in Tulum. These agencies team withthe U.S. Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco, Firearms and Explosivesto investigate the financing, transportation, and communications methods of smuggling networks. "They didn't look like they were all connected One guy came in with his wife and kids. https://tucson.com/news/national/mexican-drug-cartels-using-grenades/article_9bafe2d8-ecf2-5925-8e85-167e066dd2e9.html. The customized gold-plated handgun of Jaime Gonzalez Duran, aka "Hummer", founder of a group of hitmen called the "Zetas", shown to the press at the hangar of the Federal Police in Mexico City, on November 7, 2008. They want to disarm the USA as they arm who they want. [nearly all the guns they bother to trace through the ATFwhich is basically those with US markings on them, duh], The underground trade of weapons to Mexico is worth hundreds of millions of dollars annuallywith American guns used to kill tens of thousands of Mexicans each year. And then paperwork started. I could have sworn that at one time there was a federal law that banned face masks, a law intended to force the KKK out into the open. Yes Colt and Smith at one time made some very nice revolvers I will give them that but our rifles have been a joke for years. A spokeswoman for Bushmaster did not respond to repeated calls for comment. One thing struck him as particularly odd: " as I'm ringing up the transaction, he has one of those little drawstring backpacks. [see the above; Israel, China, Brazil, and many other big arms makers also chip in plenty. A gold plated pistol and jewelry, allegedly seized from Manuel Alquisires Garcia, alias "El Meme," sit on display during his presentation to the press of in Mexico City, Monday Sept. 12, 2011. Sept. 7, 2010 -- A shocking new report obtained by ABC News says that as many as three out of four guns used in crimes in Mexico and recovered and capable of being traced can be traced to gun . American and Mexican law enforcement officials say nearly all of the gun violence in Mexico is fueled by the illicit import and sale of U.S. firearms. Between 2009 and 2020, authorities seized 358 M82rifles, according to official figures cited by the Milenio newspaper. While we're busy patting ourselves on the back, you can pat too by voting here and here. An estimated 20 attorneys, many based in Texas, are expected to unite to represent Mexico,including six companies they blame for the bulk of recovered crime guns there:Smith & Wesson, Beretta, Century Arms, Colt, Glockand Ruger. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? Theyre American-made guns, Sotomayor told the Union-Tribune. "Their goal is the bulk purchase of maximum firepower.". Sinaloa Cartel A Mexico-based cartel famous largely because their long-term leader, El Chapo, was recently captured and imprisoned, the dangerous Sinaloa Cartel is also notorious for its extensive ties to the Mexican federal police and military. Hundreds of firearms on display before being destroyed at . And we're on commission at the time, so all of us involved are like sweet! Worried that weapons purchases for drug cartels might fuel more calls for tougher U.S. gun control laws, gun-rights advocates insist that existing laws are sufficient to control such trafficking. [most of his city is north of the border so that shouldnt be a surprise. While they had been gun-running since 2006, a 2011 report by the inspector general criticized the agency for dedicating too many resources to busting straw purchasers and not enough at busting the cartel guys doing the buying. "Operation Wide Receiver" was a subset of the overall project, centered around Arizona. It makes Americas 1930s Gangster Era a minor skirmish by comparison, and it has lasted much longer too. 2- Declare Antifa a domestic terror organization. SHARE AK-47 favorite gun of Did you feel they enjoyed their purchasing experience? Theres a little bit of The Dude in a lot of Jeff Bridges performances. In Mexico City, the military has a museum used to train officials, diplomats, and cadets about the war on drugs. Those associatesarrange the purchase of several guns keeping them atstash houses or handing them off to transporters ingas station parking lots or other neutral locations, Lestrange said. In addition to weapons from the States working better, Mexico cartels view firearms as status symbols, retired DEA agent Jack Riley told The San Diego Union-Tribune: It is really important to these criminal organizations, who stay in business by the threat of violence and through the use of violence; and the tools that they prefer to do that with are American-made guns.. Today, the two primary uses of the Barrett are "anti-material" (aka destroying enemy vehicles) and "ridiculous toy for rich people." Oh, surprise, surprise, who was AG of California when this was happening?? Some of the reasons so many guns come from Texas: people can cross the border on land or by theRio Grande River, and"in places like Houston and San Antonio, theres a gun store on every corner, said Will Glaspy, formerly in charge of DEA's Houston Division. WASHINGTON Convicted gun smuggler John Phillip Hernandez of Houston was likely not the kind of customer that Bushmaster Firearms International had in mind when he purchased 14 of the company's .223 caliber AR-15s at Houston area gun shops in 2006 and 2007. Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. Explain again how the two assists are not in prison for supplying weapons to know criminals that used the weapons to kill US citizens. Of course, thats not primary the message Newsweek and the mainstream media (not to mention Mexican officials) want readers to take away from their report. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration blames CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel for the bulk of America's illicit fentanyl, the top killer during the deadliest drug epidemic in U.S. history. Diaz, who pleaded guilty, and Vasquezareawaiting sentencing. Working together across 18 different countries over the course of 10 months, the consortium investigated the global networks of Mexican drug cartels and their political connections around the world. "The majority of weapons we've seized since we started this operation have been in the corridor by Laredo, Texas from Laredo to El Paso," he said. Agents launched 534investigations, seized $29 million and intercepted more than 1,200 guns,4,700 magazines for semi-automatic and automatic weaponsand 700,000 rounds of ammunition headed to Mexico, Lestrange told The Courier Journalthis month. Criminal gangs that wish to project power often post photos on social media of their members toting M82 gunsand latest military gadgets, mimicking the style of special forces units. They know how to pull the wool over your eyes.". GREENVILLE, S.C. . As Mexican drug groups cut in on avocado sales by extorting growers, armed locals fight back, Daughter of Mexican cartel boss sentenced to US prison for violation of Kingpin Act. Diaz's attorney, Gregory Torres, declinedcomment. Earlier this month, theMexican government sued U.S. gun manufacturers in federal court, accusing them of fueling the violence. This made for an interesting customer service dilemma: How do you deal with a customer you know is: 1. The California Maniac could just as easily bought a second hand gun and instead of killing people with it could have made handsome profit by selling it and more like it to Mexico because he is not connected by paperwork to what he is selling. ", "The ATF said, 'Don't refuse 'em, just let 'em go. The raw power of therifle, which weighs about 31 lb and is 4.9 feet long, was on show in mid-2020 during a military-style assassination attempt on Mexico Cityspolicechief that was captured by surveillance cameras. Between all the illegal guns and millions in gold, jewelry and diamonds, there are armed guards on constant watch. The state, about a five-hour drive west of Mexico City,is known for its production of avocados. Only if your definition of a thing is existing in quiet obsolescence. Maybe, he'll see this and send a thank you card. Sorry not in todays world American guns have some of the shittyist workmanship that I have ever seen compared to the U.S. guns that were made in the distant past and even those were often nothing when compared to finely made European guns. The M82 can easily penetrate bulletproof vests, concrete walls and even tanks, says its manufacturer Barrett Firearms. A Washington man drove to a U.S. border crossing last year in his teal Ford pickup truck loadedwith a hidden arsenal bound for a Mexican cartel war zone. See any connections here? Shut your pie hole Holder. An NSSF survey last year found that 44 percent of owners of these weapons are active-duty or former military or law-enforcement personnel, and the typical owner is 35, married and has some college education. So, in 2006, they started experimenting with "gunwalking," essentially letting the cartels smuggle guns into Mexico so they could track them down and catch them. But, the ATF's "sell guns to cartels and then maybe try to catch them if we've got time" plan actually dates back to the Bush Administration. The group decries the name "assault weapon" and refers to high-powered guns as "modern sporting rifles." Really, these propagandists have got to get on the same page. No, they published this piece in an effort to get the US Congress to tighten Americas gun control laws, ostensibly to stop the alleged flow of guns to Mexico. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We know theyre being illegally trafficked through California into Tijuana. [Theres no way for people to buy guns like those in California, either; they are not ban compliant], In 2018, the homicide rate in Mexico hit a record high of 35,964, spiking 12 percent from the year before, according to the countrys National Institute of Statistics and Geography. Viewers see this group of teenagers create their own drug organization. Im having a memory lapsewhich guns are made in Mexico, exactly? Pass red flag laws. RELATED:Documents allege Texas DPS spying on Mexico. Why was President Biden talking about Utahs 2002 Winter Games at the White House? But the weapons that Hernandez and his associates purchased ended up in the hands of Mexican drug cartel pistoleros, including the Bushmaster .223 that was later used to kill four police officers and three secretaries in Acapulco. It works the same way when gun runners from the U.S. funnel second hand guns into Mexico. Mexican Cartels Are Arming Themselves to the Teeth With Powerful US Sniper Rifles High-powered .50-caliber rifles can be purchased legally in most of the U.S. and they keep showing up in the. Cartel gunmen armed with AK-47s purchased in Arizona overwhelmed the police, killing eight. The bridge connectsEagle Pass, Texas, to the Northern Mexicocity of Piedras Negras in the state of Coahuila. First manufactured in the 1980s, the M82 rose to prominence during the first Gulf War when it was adopted by theUS military. Not the party of civil rights,, wait the Democratic Party is not nor has it ever been the Party of Civil Rights as it has always opposed and still opposes the Constitution; it has been and continues to be the Party of Civil Right Suppression, the Party of Slavery, the Party of the KKK, the Party who opposed voting rights,, (just Google it, Google any historic Democratic Politician in history). In the absence of sane border security policies, Guerra said, drug cartels decide who crosses, and people in their organizations use the children to enter the U.S. The weapons are sold legally but the purchasers must sign a U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives document saying they are buying the guns for themselves. LMFAO. Andrea Waguespack is a features digital producer for the Houston Chronicle. NSSF: The Firearms Industry Is Committed to Real Solutions, Todays Hot Weather Daytime Carry: Everyday Carry Pocket Dump of the Day, State Judge Issues Order Blocking Enforcement of Illinois Firearms Ban Statewide, Federal Judge Grants Injunction Blocking Enforcement of ATFs Frame or Receiver Rule, Protecting and Serving: Springfield, IL Police Seized Homeowners Gun After Investigating Her Report of a Prowler UPDATED, https://www.npr.org/2019/02/21/696561255/heckler-koch-fined-4-2-million-over-assault-rifle-sales-in-mexico, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Drug_War. It was run by brothers Jorge Luis, Juan David, and Fabio Ochoa Vasquez; Pablo Escobar; Carlos Lehder; George Jung; and Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez. If Diaz had sneaked his arsenal past U.S. Customs officials, he would have had to pay a "piso," or fee, to members of the Crtel del Noreste,or CDN, which dominates this area of northern Mexico, Jonessaid. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Video shows gunman nonchalantly shoot homeless man execution-style in broad daylight, NJ man tried to board plane with handguns, AR-15, Taser, phony US Marshal badge, Parolee flaunted ghost gun on social media before weapons arrest: feds, Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed can keep gun at home: judge. When he entered office in 2006, Caldern immediately moved on the cartels. The Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), despite sounding like the most fun bureau in history, generally frowns on that kind of thing. The gun should not be in the hands of civilians, the official said. Roger Clemens makes surprise appearance at Astros' Spring Training, Hiker captures 'once-in-a-lifetime' photo of wildlife at Brazos Bend State Park, Houston Rockets poised to reap benefits from Eric Gordon trade, Texas congressman's breaks with GOP could lead to censure, Proposed Texas bill gives tax cuts to heterosexual families only, These bites won big at the Houston rodeo's foodie awards, Heres how you can watch 'Daisy Jones and the Six', Here's what Lina Hidalgo carb-loads before a long run, Houston police ticket man for feeding homeless people. Maybe if the border was more of an obstacle], Theres no way for people to buy guns like these in Mexico. The 5,114 figure is simply wrong. By Jared Olson. From the finest gems, to gold-plated weapons, law enforcement officials say these accused drug dealers have a passion for flashy things. Officials found 17 handguns in his car. The M82 guns, often fitted with a scope to act as snipers weapon, can fire 70 rounds per minute with a maximum range of 2,500 meters. Based in northwest Mexico's Sinaloa state, the Sinaloa Cartel is widely considered to be the most powerful drug trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere, according to Insight Crime. Have a story to share with Cracked? One exhibit features weapons seized from cartel members. Why wouldnt *that* be the most obvious area to apply enforcement pressure, instead of law abiding gun owners hundreds or thousands of miles away on the far side of the country? Drug cartels have the flashiest of weapons in their arsenal. Bullet holes are seen after a battle between the CJNG and Los Viagras cartels in Aguililla. What Newell said quite clearly is that . If our source's store had just followed their guts and refused to sell to the most obviously sketchy buyers, the world would've been a little bit safer. One of the most dangerous pockets of Mexico City: Teptio, the primary-black market area, under the thumb of the Union Cartel. The English actor found the good side of being bad, Bad news that cult recovery group just might be a cult. It's made it easier than ever to drive to any Texas gun shop and legally stockpile guns, whether or not the customers belong to a Mexican cartel. is on the streets after a gun battle between Mexican security forces and suspected cartel gunmen, in Villa Union, Mexico . Accessories?". Mexican officials want to disarm America so the can finally claim Texas again and spread there filth into the lungs and veins of every Godless heathen that exists :). Those Ma Dueces & full auto Norinco Type 56 carbines arent coming from America, duh], In addition to weapons from the States working better, Mexico cartels view firearms as status symbols, retired DEA agent Jack Riley told The San Diego Union-Tribune: It is really important to these criminal organizations, who stay in business by the threat of violence and through the use of violence; and the tools that they prefer to do that with are American-made guns. [whats the status symbol aspect have to do with anything? I got a phone call one day on the shop line, and a guy was looking for a Barrett .50 cal, which is not a crazy weapon in terms of how available they are.". Bushmaster describes the AR-15 rifle, a civilian version of the U.S. military's standard-issue M-16, as intended "for law enforcement, security and private consumer use." Typically, the purchaser turns the guns over to a broker who takes them across the border to Mexico, where such weapons cannot be bought legally. So CA is itself one of those neighboring States that is (cough) responsible for illegal firearms/use across a boundry? "It's hard to pinpoint exactly where we think a particular load (of guns) we seized was going,"Lestrange said. "Almost all guns recovered at crime scenes in Mexico 70% to 90% of them were trafficked from the U.S.," the Mexican government claims in its complaint. Obama supplied guns to mexican gangs, and were also used in Paris France terrorist attack. A straw purchase is when someone buys a gun legally, but then hands it over illegally to another person. FN Herstal PS90 rifle: It also fires the 5.7X28mm round. Dear Mexico: clean up your own house before telling us how to take care of ours. October 19, 2022 The typical image of violent, heavily armed Mexican drug cartels tends to leave out one very important fact: Texas is the source for many of those guns. A jeweler shows a gun butt made of gold, diamonds, emeralds and rubies to form the Mexican flag, for a 1911 pistol in Culiacan, Sinaloa state on July 12, 2011. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Since the federal law banning assault weapons expired in 2004, so-called "straw purchasers" have flooded U.S. gun stores in the Southwest, mostly in Texas and Arizona, sweeping up these and other weapons. DEA agents say the cartel was trying to instill fear in its enemies and woo new members. He pulls a paper bag out, takes out 10 grand in cash rubber-banded in thousand dollar increments. Mexico has very strict restrictions on weapon. Did that law get repealed or expire? It got to the point where we would give the ATF our cellphone numbers. This story has been shared 164,095 times. Many interesting behind-the-scenes bits have happened during the 20 years of telling tales about our favorite trailer-park residents, Bobs never bought Christmas seals he told me he wouldnt know what to feed them, Below you, an entire other world operates. https://www.judicialwatch.org/corruption-chronicles/law-enforcement-sources-gun-used-paris-terrorist-attacks-came-phoenix/. ", The cartels were smart enough to pick buyers who wouldn't instantly set off alarm bells (aka clean-cut and often white). Or perhaps Newsweek went out of print before the Fast and Furious story broke. Thirty-four. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents contend Vasquez told them he was headed to the city ofMatehuala, a seven-hour drive south of Laredo, Texas, in the Mexican state of San Luis Potos. I do not fault Mexico for failing to try, but I do wonder if somebody down there on the anti-cartel side is simultaneously trying to fail? Meanwhile, check out this picture of a gun cache from El Chapo's hide-out: That's a Barrett .50 caliber rifle, confirmed to have gotten to Mexico via the ATF's gun-running program. "And they're sending leads up to us to connect the dots.". In summer, a command intercepted a dozen tourists after being mistaken for members of a rival cartel. Cartels often use drug profits to pay Americans to buy weaponsfor them at retail stores andgun shows, called straw purchases. Vasquez'sattorney, Silverio Martinez, said he plans to lobby for leniency, even probation, arguing this is his client's first arrest. That leaves the military as the only ones able to battle thecartels.. Pass a domestic terrorism bill.. Of course, these same quoted Mexican officials made no mention of changing their own to laws to allow the little people to own some cold steel with which they could protect themselves and their families from corrupt federales and cartel predators. On the Shelf. The survey drawn from guns identified by manufacturer or importer in U.S. court documents from 44 cases involving 165 defendants in Texas, Arizona and three other states shows the purveyors of guns to Mexican drug traffickers followed a time-honored maxim of product salesmanship: Bigger is definitely better. The perfect moment to strike, of course! To lose that many military, cops, politicians and citizens murdered by gangsters is phenomenal. Evening roundup with our editors' favorite stories of the day . I tend to like Belgian, Swiss, German, Austrian, and Italian guns. If someone is breaking the law, go after them. I mean all the enforcement is on the American side, very little exists on the Mexican side. Diaz is one of 360 suspects arrested so far duringOperation Without a Trace, an ongoingcrackdown launched nearly two years ago by Homeland Security Investigationsand U.S. Customs and Border Protection to intercept illegal guns, saidJoseph Lestrange, division chief of Homeland Security's Transnational Organized Crime. Well, crap. I came here to say this. Then, he says, 'Oh, I've been interested in the Barrett.' And how many bad guys did they get? You took their 4473 and transcribed all that, then it asked what type of transaction it was, how many 100s, how many 50s, how many 10s, ones. Never heard of Obama? Blaming Californias laws for failing is about as stupid as blaming Blaming Democrats for inter city crime but thats another story thats way over your head. Cartel forces seized a major regional capital city in broad daylight and defeated the national armed forces in open battle.
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