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. Id gut all weapons law and send any politician that suggest a new gun law to GitMo with a mandatory minimum sentence of life. Man, how awful am I gonna feel if one of these guys gets plugged with a weapon I sold? ", 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.". Century Arms Draco 7.62X39mm pistol: Another Romanian import. Withhold all federal funds from any state if it or any locality is found in violation. The place is called La Leche and it continues to be one of Vallarta's tourist attractions. 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. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out another How To Solve The Country's Gun Problem, and watch other videos you won't see on the site! MLB legend makes surprise appearance at Astros' Spring Training, Hiker takes 'once-in-a-lifetime' photo at Brazos Bend State Park, Eric Gordon trade looking better and better for Houston Rockets, This Texas Hill Country town is the new, cooler Fredericksburg, This is what Houston looks like from space, Oops! Body armour and load-bearing equipment were used by many cartel members, including examples marked 'Marina' (Marines) or 'Polica Estatal' (State Police). We'll sell those guys so many guns they drown in them!" Then, basic questions: Did you feel they knew what they were buying? Yes, Mexico has some house cleaning of their own to do, but it would help a great deal if the U.S. had much tighter gun control and drug enforcement. If you have a Barrett, it means that any non-special forces such as the localpoliceand the municipalpolicecannot fight you, Grandmaison said. 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). It was run by brothers Jorge Luis, Juan David, and Fabio Ochoa Vasquez; Pablo Escobar; Carlos Lehder; George Jung; and Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez. 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 Medellin cartel surged to power in the 1980s. 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. 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. 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. In Mexico City, the military has a museum used to train officials, diplomats, and cadets about the war on drugs. In Mexico City, the military has a museum used to train officials, diplomats, and cadets about the war on drugs. Excuse the pun, but when are you gonna pull the trigger on this? 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. filed a lawsuit in theUS District Court in Massachusetts against the company and 10 other gun manufacturers. Officials in Mexicowhich has just one gun store and issues fewer than 50 gun permits ayearblame lax U.S. gun laws and the prevalence of gun shops in Americafor the bulk of weapons that allow cartels to flourish. It would help gangs and cartels to increase their presence and elevate homicide and crime rates in the U.S. As troll names go, yours is especially stupid. You have lost 4,020 Federal, State, and Municipal Police killed by the cartels. California already has background check laws & every other useless gun control policy you fools have dreamed up. By Jared Olson. Build the wall, Mexico. Cant have all those firearms in the USA, so lets pipeline them to Mexico. It is also one of the weapons of choice for drug cartels, according to the. Mexican security personnel eventually turned him over to cartel gunmen after the arrest prompted a raging gun battle with extremely heavily armed fighters, including some with American-made . Not all of them went to prison, and none of them were cartel bigwigs. 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. Guns Drive Cartel Violence in Mexico. 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. Modern optics, including AimPoint types and the distinctive Vism ECO 434 model were seen. Scarface stars Pacino as the indelible gangster and charts his rise as a Cuban immigrant-turned-cocaine cartel captain . Mexico suffered more than 40,000 fatal shootings in 2018, according to public briefings by Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. "Their goal is the bulk purchase of maximum firepower.". 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. "They didn't look like they were all connected One guy came in with his wife and kids. What Newell said quite clearly is that . Hell, our source might have sold El Chapo that very rifle. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., pressed Garland regarding the opioid epidemic, highlighting that fentanyl is responsible for more deaths than guns and car accidents. 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. There, members oftheGulf Cartel and CJNGhave formed a partnership, Jones said. The M82 can easily penetrate bulletproof vests, concrete walls and even tanks, says its manufacturer Barrett Firearms. Soldiers stand guard around a presentation of arms captured in an operation against the Gulf cartel in Mexico City, Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. They are still covering for the Obama administration. Damn Democrat Pipeline! The main character, Franklin is brilliant. I would be one of the richest people on the planet. The English actor found the good side of being bad, Bad news that cult recovery group just might be a cult. It works the same way when gun runners from the U.S. funnel second hand guns into Mexico. View of gun butts made of gold, diamonds, emeralds and rubies to form the Mexican flag, in Culiacan, Sinaloa state on July 12, 2011. MEXICO CITY, Aug 6 The flow of high-caliber arms smuggled across the porousUS border has alarmedMexicanofficials and few weapons are as powerful as theUS-made M82 semi-automaticrifleincreasingly favored by the powerfuldrugcartels. How does the cartel feel about branded accessories? For those who never heard about this story. Its a very symbolic weapon in the narco world and for the narco esthetic, Grandmaison said. Majority all arms used in Mexico, where gun control laws are very strict, are bought in the U.S . 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. The indigenous people of Mexico do arm themselves and fight the government. What i believe is that If i want to sale you ballons ,i give you a good price nd you will greatly say my ballons are the best .. quoteTijuanas Director of Public Safety, Marco Antonio Sotomayor, says most of the guns flowing into his city come from north of the border.quote. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, Houston is ugly, and I've never felt more at home, Astros GM Dana Brown has more praise team's top prospect, Turner: TEA is giving Houston ISD two optionsclose school or be taken over, Two ocelots were photographed crossing a road in rare South Texas sighting, Willie Nelson's new album is a lovely tribute to a fellow country legend. Theycould each face up to 10 years in prison. Pass a domestic terrorism bill.. Comparing it to Belgium and Czech and German Model 98s made the M70 look like a piece of trash. It is cheaper at gun outlets in the U.S. Beretta 9mm. Miguel Diaz Calderon never made it out of Texas. California gun-control activists credited that state's low total to strict state firearms laws that severely limit sales of military-style weaponry. 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. The drug bust was a multi-agency effort involving the. So, the ATF was like, "We'll show you! 3. We sat down with "James," who worked at one of the gun stores the ATF ordered to sell firearms to drug cartels. Enough-time for real action. 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. This story has been shared 164,095 times. 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 . Most of Mexicos gun violence (and violence in general) has primarily come from the cartel wars through the illicit gun trade and insatiable drug thurst facilitated by the United States. The Central Intelligence Agency was intimately involved with the federal government's infamous "Operation Fast and Furious" scheme to send American weapons to Mexican drug cartels while. ", It was a good gig for a while. National Police Chief Gen. Oscar Naranjo, holds a handgun seized to Colombian drug lord and former paramilitary leader Pedro Guerrero Castillo, known as "Cuchillo" (Knife), as he speaks during a press conference in Bogota, Colombia, on December 29, 2010. It fires 5.7X28mm cartridges, referred to as "mata policias" (cop killers) in Mexico because they can penetrate bulletproof vests. This, by the way, is the Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle: It costs between $8,000 and $10,000, and it can literally put a bullet through most light tanks. How in the hell can any society withstand such incredible violence and not crumble? View of cartridges and weapons from the gangsters and drug-traffickers at the Military Headquarter in Mexico City, on November 7, 2008. A special investigative report in 2019 by TheCourier Journal warned of CJNG's ruthlessness in Mexico and its reach across the U.S. into small towns. He didn't know much about it beside the fact that he wanted it.". "It doesn't say anything about conduct of retailer, manufacturer or purchaser.". Weapons and jewelry seized to alleged leader of "El Cartel del Golfo" Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sanchez, aka "El Coss", are presented to the press in Mexico City, on September 13, 2012. Because they could be doing a hell of a lot more to fight smuggling into the country and to protect their own good guy guns from being stolen. 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. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Called a "technical" by US military.) Cartel gunmen armed with AK-47s purchased in Arizona overwhelmed the police, killing eight. The recent California shooting was done by a maniac who drove for almost 12 hours to commit crime. The cartel can trace its roots to the 1960s and '70s, when farming families entered the marijuana business. "Project Gunrunner" (at least they were honest with the name) kicked off in 2006. You try and keep it as normal as possible; you don't want to spook him because then everything's shot as well. 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. Theyre American-made guns, Sotomayor told the Union-Tribune. Gold-plated, diamond-encrusted weapons are shown to the press after they were confiscated when the army seized a ranch in Zapopan, Mexico, Sunday, May 2, 2010. Once inside the U.S., Century Arms converts the rifles into military-style AK-47s capable of holding 30-round magazines. Mexican and U.S. authorities arrested Guzman in February; he had eluded authorities for decades. Even got a few border agents killed with those weapons. 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. It all started in 2017, when Norma Llamas Rodriguez, 47,. Did you feel they enjoyed their purchasing experience? Notify me of follow-up comments by email. But, gradually, their suspicions began to pile up " then, we started getting more and more phone calls over the weeks. U.S. Customs agents searched hisvehicle at the Eagle Passcrossing and found 43 shotguns, rifles and pistols. I mean the cartels. Guns and munitions confiscated from alleged Mexican drug dealers Alberto Sanchez Hinojosa aka "El Tony", Francisco Arteaga Espino and Leonel Cruz Hernandez are displayed to the press in Mexico City on September 7, 2008, after they were detained in Villahermosa, Tabasco state. Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. Together the men funneled nearly 340 firearms valued at almost $370,000 to Mexican drug cartels. ", After a couple weeks of escalating sketchiness, they reported the straw purchasers to the ATF, who immediately showed up to shut this shit d-, Sean Rayford/Getty Images News/Getty Images, Nope! Here's what he told us. In the past, Jalisco has obtained squad machine guns, .50-caliber sniper rifles and 40mm grenades and launchers. CDC reinstates mask recommendation for planes, trains, While U.S. hits new job quitting record, this man set his own record 84 years at the same company, The U.S. housing market is historically overvalued. Same questions. It is not clear if Century Arms imported the Draco in that case. Gunmen who left behind at least one M82riflewere seen spraying the armor-plated car ofpolicechief Omar Garcia Harfuch with high-velocity rounds. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Cartels seek out military-grade weapons, he said: "The bigger the better.". Now its used by more than 70 security agencies across the world, according to Barrett. *awkward shrug*, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News/Getty Images. An Italian-made 9mm pistol that is a best-seller among U.S. law enforcement agencies. Im having a memory lapsewhich guns are made in Mexico, exactly? He sent in the federal police along with army units in an attempt to eliminate high value . The Bushmaster .223 comes with a 30-round magazine, enabling the shooter to fire all 30 rounds, one for each pull of the trigger, in a minute or less. Oh, surprise, surprise, who was AG of California when this was happening?? These agencies team withthe U.S. Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco, Firearms and Explosivesto investigate the financing, transportation, and communications methods of smuggling networks. Theres a little bit of The Dude in a lot of Jeff Bridges performances. Why was President Biden talking about Utahs 2002 Winter Games at the White House? We've received your submission. Yes, it was stressful but, at the same time, you knew what you had to do, and you did it and tried not to spook him, or whatever.". I hear Chinese AK-74 types a. "It's a horrible epidemic, but it . of violence in this conflict: intra-cartel disputes, inter-cartel rivalries, and the overall war that Mexican President Felipe Caldern's government is waging on the cartels. Only if your definition of a thing is existing in quiet obsolescence. I mean all the enforcement is on the American side, very little exists on the Mexican side. Mexican Drug Cartels Agree: American-Made Guns Are the Best, Mexican drug and crime cartels prefer American-made guns. Drug cartels have been using monster type armored cars for about 15 years these recent photos clashes in tamaulipas between cdn and cdg they use m82 m017 barrets also m2 machine guns and 40mm grenades this doesn't happen very far from egle pass texas or mcallen texas . A gold plated pistol and jewelry, allegedly seized from Manuel Alquisires Garcia, aka "El Meme," sit on display during his presentation to the press of in Mexico City, Monday Sept. 12, 2011. The flow of high-caliber arms smuggled across the porous U.S. border has alarmed Mexican officials and few weapons are as powerful as the U.S.-made M82 semi-automatic rifle increasingly favored by . 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. 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. Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs and Cartels. Two of those weapons were tracked to the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol agent: The whole mess immediately became an embarrassment for the Obama administration. quoteClown shoes.quote. The No. Gun Companies The lawsuit over drug cartel violence could be part of a bigger change on guns. RELATED:Documents allege Texas DPS spying on Mexico. Earlier in the week, more than one . They want the firearms only in the hands they want so that they can execute their plan. Whats so hard to understand about that? 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. https://www.npr.org/2019/02/21/696561255/heckler-koch-fined-4-2-million-over-assault-rifle-sales-in-mexico, For no other reason than eric holder lead the investigation, I question everything we know about the Oklahoma City bombing, wow is that guy nuts. The Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), despite sounding like the most fun bureau in history, generally frowns on that kind of thing. 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? Evening roundup with our editors' favorite stories of the day . He likes tacos. "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. 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. weapons to Mexico. U.S. agents also are helping train Mexican police on investigative techniques and evidence collection and improving intelligence sharing, Lestrange said. Mexico: U.S. Supplies 90% Of Cartel's Guns. Frankly, Im rather impressed you are still standing at all. Take a look at some of the flashiest weapons you'll ever see in the slideshow above. 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. Barretts were basically the only gun the cartels wanted, and while they are both ridiculous and rich, we get the strange feeling these weren't meant as toys " it started to get more and more severe. Cartels:As Mexican drug groups cut in on avocado sales by extorting growers, armed locals fight back. Photo gallery: The top ten favorite guns of the Mexican drug cartels By Will Tucker on July 15, 2011 at 10:07 AM Texas on the Potomac reporter-researcher Will Tucker has compiled a photo. Automatic guns and rocket-propelled grenades follow drug trade routes back to China, Guatemala, and the black markets in Central and South America. Really, these propagandists have got to get on the same page. Between all the illegal guns and millions in gold, jewelry and diamonds, there are armed guards on constant watch. Oh. Viewers see this group of teenagers create their own drug organization. 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. Its a weapon of war, added the official. 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. They want to disarm the USA as they arm who they want. 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. Till then, fuck you! If the laws actually worked, wouldnt Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas be the easier route? Holder and Obama spoiled the Mexican Cartels by sending them all those quality US made weapons while they ran the show in Washington. Even ballistic helmets were seen in use. Dear Mexico: clean up your own house before telling us how to take care of ours. The "El Presidente" model is popular in Mexico because it is one of the few guns legally available there, according to the Violence Policy Center. 1 Make rioting in public while wearing a mask a felony with mandatory prison time. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? Once in the hands of cartel capos, however, the modern sporting rifle becomes very much an assault weapon. Tijuanas Director of Public Safety, Marco Antonio Sotomayor, says most of the guns flowing into his city come from north of the border. Dear Mexico: clean up your own house before telling us how to take care of ours.. They have special loopholes that allow them to form their own government or something like that. 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. Or is it because the CA border is not a barrier to trafficking contraband? What ARE you waiting on? It got to the point where we would give the ATF our cellphone numbers. This is a carousel. 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. Serial numbers really do tell a story. ", Your elite government task force in action, everybody: "Guess we just gave the bad guys a buncha weapons." "I was working in a very large gun store in Phoenix at the time, and we sold everything. Declare Eric Holder a domestic terrorist and arrest him. Reports suggest the Fast and Furious guns are tied to at least 69 killings. 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. [most of his city is north of the border so that shouldnt be a surprise. 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. A total of 852, 29 percent, were from Arizona. Cartels often use drug profits to pay Americans to buy weaponsfor them at retail stores andgun shows, called straw purchases. "We were being told, 'Oh, we're tracking their phones, we've got their license plates,' but it just kept happening. Andrea Waguespack is a features digital producer for the Houston Chronicle. Vasquez'sattorney, Silverio Martinez, said he plans to lobby for leniency, even probation, arguing this is his client's first arrest. No secret, everyone knew it, too. It depicts one cartel member dressed in a garish shirt, cowboy hat and belt buckle. CJNG is based in Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city, in the state of Jalisco. 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.". 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. While we're busy patting ourselves on the back, you can pat too by voting here and here. A row of glass cases are filled with seized weapons. Cracked is up for TWO Webby Awards, for Best Humor Site and Best Video Entertainment!