There, members oftheGulf Cartel and CJNGhave formed a partnership, Jones said. Violence is rampant across Mexico. While we're busy patting ourselves on the back, you can pat too by voting here and here. Try again Jethro your out of your league. Cartel gunmen armed with AK-47s purchased in Arizona overwhelmed the police, killing eight. Soldiers stand guard around a presentation of arms captured in an operation against the Gulf cartel in Mexico City, Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. If you want to keep guns out of the country, you do not appear to be making any real effort at it. They also discoveredmore than 10,000 rounds of ammunition hidden in an ice chest in the gas tankand inside the spare tire,court records show. (zero miles currently built 1 mo gov shut down trump heights built tho??? I'm a projects reporter, examining key education topics and other local issues. Hell, our source might have sold El Chapo that very rifle. Once inside the U.S., Century Arms converts the rifles into military-style AK-47s capable of holding 30-round magazines. Of theguns used in crimes in Mexico and traced back to the United States, about 41% camefrom Texas, he said. 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. SHARE AK-47 favorite gun of Sincerely, These firearms couldnt possibly coming through California. 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. 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. It is also one of the weapons of choice fordrugcartels, according to theMexicangovernment, which this week filed a lawsuit in theUS District Court in Massachusetts against the company and 10 other gun manufacturers. If the laws actually worked, wouldnt Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas be the easier route? Thousands evacuated in North Korea as heavy rain destroys Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, Buster Murdaugh got 'very drunk' with dad 2 months after mom, brother murdered: source, Tom Sandoval, Raquel Leviss planned to tell Ariana Madix about affair, Prince Harry says hes not a victim: I never looked for sympathy, Allison Holker pens touching note to kids after Stephen tWitch Boss death, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant allegedly flashes gun at a strip club, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce. Andrea Waguespack is a features digital producer for the Houston Chronicle. The drug bust was a multi-agency effort involving the. After paying the piso and traveling throughCoahuila, Diaz still wouldhave faced a 14-hour drive south toMichoacn. So CA is itself one of those neighboring States that is (cough) responsible for illegal firearms/use across a boundry? The main character, Franklin is brilliant. In the world of assault-type weaponry, power is measured by bullet caliber, velocity and range, as well rapidity of fire and ammunition magazine capacity. 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. A large-scale drug investigation in the Valley led to the seizure of millions of fentanyl pills, thousands of pounds of meth and more. It's a more powerful version of the Beretta popularized in James Bond novels and films. From 2006 to 2013, the program expanded until it exploded into the stupidly named "Fast And Furious" scandal. None of the manufacturers, including Barrett, responded to Reuters requests for comment. California, by contrast, accounted for 90 guns, three percent of the total. "You put on a face, like any customer service job, and you try to build a rapport with these guys. Christ, John; do a little digging please, since this article is easily refuted/debunked, 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. The Hearst survey of court cases found these weapons among the top 10: The Belgian-made FN Herstal Five-SeveN: Some versions of this pistol hold 10 rounds; others have a 20-round capacity. While this is isn't based on one true story, it follows a teenager at the forefront of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles. 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. 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. In 2016, members of the Knights Templar cartel in Michoacan state allegedly downed a helicopter with an M82rifle, theMexicanlawsuit said. We can reduce the carnage if pols have the guts to act, Eric Holder (@EricHolder) August 5, 2019, Enough-time for real action. So, you would come in, say hello, shoot the shit, ask him about his kid. "But we also know most of the violence the Mexican government is concerned about against police and against institutions is coming from CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel" run by the notorious kingpin "El Chapo,"Lestrange said. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives contends the most popular are the FN-57 pistol, once nicknamed the cop-killer for the ammo it could fire; the AR type 223 rifle and the. ", The cartels were smart enough to pick buyers who wouldn't instantly set off alarm bells (aka clean-cut and often white). 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. 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.". Exactly, if America had adopted Mexican-style gun control, it probably wouldve had as many mass shootings as Mexico has had in the past 30 years. The state, about a five-hour drive west of Mexico City,is known for its production of avocados. 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. [see the above; Israel, China, Brazil, and many other big arms makers also chip in plenty. American guns are ok, and many of the gun companies from the above countries have some US manufacturing. The bridge connectsEagle Pass, Texas, to the Northern Mexicocity of Piedras Negras in the state of Coahuila. Say hello to our favorite little Al Pacino movie: The Brian De Palma classic from the '80s that has cemented Tony Montana, his little machine gun friend, and Michelle Pfeiffer's stunning slip dresses in cinema history. Here's what he told us. ", Well, worry not, James, because the victims were mostly-, "And it's not gonna feel any better if I hear about some village in Mexico getting wiped out.". Pass a domestic terrorism bill.. A Draco, purchased in Joshua, Texas, near Forth Worth, was used in the attack and shooting death of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata in Mexico in February. Violence in Mexico has claimed nearly 40,000 lives since President Felipe Calderon began a military offensive aimed at overpowering drug cartels. First manufactured in the 1980s, the M82 rose to prominence during the first Gulf War when it was adopted by theUS military. We were placing special orders with Barrett because we couldn't keep up demand. Seriously, I feel your pain. On the Shelf. You don't buy five to six of the same 10k rifle for a collection. The Democrats gave them the guns. ", Yvonne Hemsey/Hulton Archive/Getty Images. Operation Without a Trace works in sync with efforts by ATF, which targetsstraw purchasers, and the DEA, whose agents piece together conspiracy cases by identifying drug networks and their links to specific cartels. In Mexico, the weapon has disrupted the balance of power between criminal groupsand poorly equippedpoliceforces, according to Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, Program Director at the Mexico and Central America Office of Noria, a think tank. 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. A 9mm browning pistol has the diamond encrusted initials of LMJ. Man, how awful am I gonna feel if one of these guys gets plugged with a weapon I sold? The arrests on January 19 are the result of Operation Semper Infidelis, a Los Angeles Strike Force investigation that targeted a domestic weapons trafficking organization that provided firearms and ammunition to the Crtel Jalisco Nueva Generacin (CJNG), one of the largest and most violent drug cartels in Mexico. They want to disarm the USA as they arm who they want. Dear Mexico: clean up your own house before telling us how to take care of ours.. Why doesnt it stop guns from going through their border into Mexico? A recent report reveals 60 percent of all confiscated weapons in Mexico are seized in the three states of Tamaulipas, Guerrero, and Jalisco, with 7 out of 10 weapons confiscated coming from the United States. More than 40 people have been charged in the Upstate of South Carolina as part of a drug-trafficking case known as "Las Seoritas," according to Attorney General Alan Wilson . 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. Officers found all of those brands, except Century Arms,in the shipments smuggled by Diaz, court records show. Military-style weaponry has enabled the drug trafficking organizations to match and sometimes overwhelm the firepower of Mexican law enforcement. I bet they have favorite beers and hand grenades, too. Cartels seek out military-grade weapons, he said: "The bigger the better.". Or is it because the CA border is not a barrier to trafficking contraband? California gun-control activists credited that state's low total to strict state firearms laws that severely limit sales of military-style weaponry. He pulls a paper bag out, takes out 10 grand in cash rubber-banded in thousand dollar increments. I mean all the enforcement is on the American side, very little exists on the Mexican side. "Their goal is the bulk purchase of maximum firepower.". ", Spencer Platt/Getty Images News/Getty Images, "Once the ATF was more involved, we had a separate set of paperwork. There were undercover agents in the store, sometimes. At one point, it was probably four to five of these rifles a week. It was weird that, one, he came in with $10,000 cash. To intercept more Mexico-bound guns, the U.S. Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy of 2020, of the National Drug Control Policy, vowed that "the United States will improve criminal-intelligence and information-sharing for illegal weapons trafficking and enhance cooperation with international partners.". Cartel forces seized a major regional capital city in broad daylight and defeated the national armed forces in open battle. 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. Sorry, man -- at least 150 Mexican civilians have been hurt or killed by weapons the ATF let enter Mexico. CJNG video shows off high-powered guns:Why a viral drug cartel video showing off tanks and taunts is bad news for the US. I'm like, 'makes sense, he's a military kid.' "And they're sending leads up to us to connect the dots.". Century Arms Draco 7.62X39mm pistol: Another Romanian import. Reports suggest the Fast and Furious guns are tied to at least 69 killings. Theyre American-made guns, Sotomayor told the Union-Tribune. They only wanted a couple of us dealing with it fill out this form, have the money counted, so we can bring drug dogs in to check the bills for drugs. Shut your pie hole Holder. 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. FN Herstal PS90 rifle: It also fires the 5.7X28mm round. Even got a few border agents killed with those weapons. But, gradually, their suspicions began to pile up " then, we started getting more and more phone calls over the weeks. It was going on all over the city -- we knew we weren't the only store -- you've got plenty of evidence, you know where they live. Accessories?". A roster of convicted cartel members, ex-smugglers and former Mexican officials testified that Garca Luna took millions of dollars in cartel cash, met with major traffickers and kept law. Known as CJNG, the billion-dollar cartel boasts of more than 5,000 members, an army larger than its key rival, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Now I cannot make this any more simple for you to understand. Our source and his manager didn't call the authorities immediately -- buying a fancy gun with cash isn't illegal; otherwise, how would we have rap videos? It costs between $8,000 and $10,000, and it can literally put a bullet through most light tanks. El Mencho:Daughter of Mexican cartel boss sentenced to US prison for violation of Kingpin Act. Cartels:As Mexican drug groups cut in on avocado sales by extorting growers, armed locals fight back. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We sat down with "James," who worked at one of the gun stores the ATF ordered to sell firearms to drug cartels. SALT LAKE CITY A Utah woman is heading to federal prison for buying dozens of high powered rifles for Mexican drug cartel members. Mexican military forces confiscated 71 armor-piercing 50-caliber gunsin the year ending January 2020, according to the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Mexico. CJNG is based in Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city, in the state of Jalisco. An estimated 19% came from California, 15%from Arizona and 25% from other states. 8. "Operation Wide Receiver" was a subset of the overall project, centered around Arizona. June 23, 2022, 4:35 PM. Called a "technical" by US military.) This made for an interesting customer service dilemma: How do you deal with a customer you know is: 1. We'll sell those guys so many guns they drown in them!" Build the wall, Mexico. The Mexican government claims that more than 68% of illegal guns smuggled across the border are made by those companies, along withBarrett and Witmer Public Safety Group, which acquired Interstate Arms. ", "The ATF said, 'Don't refuse 'em, just let 'em go. According to prosecutors, the weapons are believed to belong to the Valencia gang, allies of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, and most of the 31 pistols found in the raid had gold or silver-plated grips or glittered with diamonds. CJNG members posted a video that went viral on social media in July2020 showing off their arsenal of tanks and .50-caliber guns. 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. Agents launched 534 investigations, seized $29 million and intercepted more than 1,200 guns, 4,700 magazines for semi-automatic and automatic weapons and 700,000 rounds of ammunition headed to. Cartels often use drug profits to pay Americans to buy weaponsfor them at retail stores andgun shows, called straw purchases. Bullet holes are seen after a battle between the CJNG and Los Viagras cartels in Aguililla. Or perhaps Newsweek went out of print before the Fast and Furious story broke. He likes tacos. Theres no way for people to buy guns like these in Mexico. Viewers see this group of teenagers create their own drug organization. Drug cartels are known for heinous acts of violence and blatant disregard for law, but one more thing the outlaws are known for is their taste for the most luxurious items. ReporterKarolSurez contributed to this story. In 2019, a record 68 such weapons were captured. 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. 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. Oh. Diaz, who lived in Union Gap, a three-hour drive fromSeattle,tried to cross the border northwest of LaredoonInternational Bridge 2 on May 5, 2020. The 5,114 figure is simply wrong. Why havent you closed your northern border with a massive military presence to stop south bound smuggling? As of 2018 you have lost 395 servicemen killed and 137 missing, presumed killed by over 100,000 cartel fighters. 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. weapons to Mexico. For more insider perspectives, check out 5 Insane Things I Learned About Drugs As An Undercover Agent and 6 Ways Life In Cartel-Run Mexico Is Nothing Like You Imagine. California already has background check laws & every other useless gun control policy you fools have dreamed up. This story has been shared 100,034 times. Gun-rights advocates doubt the accuracy of that claim. "I was working in a very large gun store in Phoenix at the time, and we sold everything. Then, basic questions: Did you feel they knew what they were buying? 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." He was badly wounded, while two bodyguards and an innocent bystander were killed. This story has been shared 164,095 times. No way the Democrats would support increasing the numbers of guns in the world. Yet, none of that is relevant, history is often forgotten. He didn't know much about it beside the fact that he wanted it.". Gunmen who left behind at least one M82riflewere seen spraying the armor-plated car ofpolicechief Omar Garcia Harfuch with high-velocity rounds. Court documents show such purchasers buying as many as 20 AK-47s at a time, paying as much as $11,000 in cash. 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. Mexico suffered more than 40,000 fatal shootings in 2018, according to public briefings by Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. Fake News. Till then, fuck you! 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. A spokeswoman for Bushmaster did not respond to repeated calls for comment. Barn Brain also conveniently ignores the fact that there are gunsmiths in the U.S. and Mexico that regularly convert semi-auto American made guns to full auto as well and yes they are second hand guns not vetted that come from the U.S. 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). Theycould each face up to 10 years in prison. 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. Maybe if the border was more of an obstacle], Theres no way for people to buy guns like these in Mexico. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? leaks of official weaponry bought by the Mexican military. 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.