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. "And they're sending leads up to us to connect the dots.". Whether it's the Juarez Cartel or Sinaloa's 'Chapo' Guzman, one thing the cartels in Mexico and South America have in common are flashy weapons. Here's what he told us. Every once in a while, a dolt drops a gem. The bridge connectsEagle Pass, Texas, to the Northern Mexicocity of Piedras Negras in the state of Coahuila. Cartels often use drug profits to pay Americans to buy weaponsfor them at retail stores andgun shows, called straw purchases. Gunmen battled on a beach near Puerto Morelos as tourists scrambled into a Hyatt . Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to . 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. Get the best of Cracked sent directly to your inbox! 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.". 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. It is cheaper at gun outlets in the U.S. Beretta 9mm. You have lost 4,020 Federal, State, and Municipal Police killed by the cartels. Today, the two primary uses of the Barrett are "anti-material" (aka destroying enemy vehicles) and "ridiculous toy for rich people." This story has been shared 164,095 times. 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. Ioan Grillo's "Blood Gun Money": U.S. fuels Mexican drug war - Los U.S. agents also are helping train Mexican police on investigative techniques and evidence collection and improving intelligence sharing, Lestrange said. Cartel forces seized a major regional capital city in broad daylight and defeated the national armed forces in open battle. Military-style weaponry has enabled the drug trafficking organizations to match and sometimes overwhelm the firepower of Mexican law enforcement. ATF agents say almost 100 of those weapons have turned up at cartel-related crime scenes in. But then, he broke out the huge bag of cash. They want to disarm the USA as they arm who they want. We had a bunch of light machine guns, like an M249 SAW what caught me off guard is that he and I shot the crap about that one day. What kind of weapons do the cartels typically use? Is it really - Quora Army officials said they confiscated 288 assault rifles, 500,000 rounds of ammunition, numerous grenades and several .50-caliber rifles at a house in the city of Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas. So same basic rules as slinging coffee at Starbucks, only with slightly higher stakes if somebody doesn't buy your fake smile. I came here to say this. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers with an Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Team were screening traffic headed out of Laredo on the Lincoln-Juarez Bridge in October when they noticed a bundle under the carriage of Vasquez's SUV, secured with black ties. By Jared Olson. Pass red flag laws. Mexico has very strict restrictions on weapon. But as the government attempts to stem the flow of drugs across the US border - it is these military-grade guns which are being smuggled in the other direction. It depicts one cartel member dressed in a garish shirt, cowboy hat and belt buckle. Former Mexico security chief convicted in U.S. for taking cartel bribes Evening roundup with our editors' favorite stories of the day . 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. 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. AK-47 favorite gun of cartels - Deseret News The state, about a five-hour drive west of Mexico City,is known for its production of avocados. 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. The sheriff believes cartel coyotes are making between $1,000 and $1,500 for every person brought into the country. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? Ebrard said about 60% of the weapons seized in Mexico in recent years were believed to have been sold in 10 U.S. counties, mostly along the border. Distraction. 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. 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. NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Ioan Grillo about the illegal flow of guns from the U.S. to Mexico. Why Mexico Is Right to Sue U.S. "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. The indigenous people of Mexico do arm themselves and fight the government. John Allen Muhammad, the D.C. sniper, and his youthful accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, used a Bushmaster .223 in nine of 10 sniper-style murders that terrorized the Washington area in 2002. Mexico Sues US Gun Makers Over Illegal Guns Flowing Across - Insider Photo gallery: The top ten favorite guns of the Mexican drug cartels And follow Robert on Twitter. 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. Also FN57 pistols but, the Barretts were the big one. First manufactured in the 1980s, the M82 rose to prominence during the first Gulf War when it was adopted by theUS military. They know how to pull the wool over your eyes.". Shut your pie hole Holder. That sounds great, but the agent working with our source and his store told everyone that the charges wouldn't stick: "Our agent was pretty candid with us: He let us know the guys doing it had been arrested. 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. Serial numbers really do tell a story. Only if your definition of a thing is existing in quiet obsolescence. You have entered an incorrect email address! Guns and munitions confiscated to 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. 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. ", Once the purchase was completed and the "customer" left the store, " the money was counted with the cameras watching it. 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. Called a "technical" by US military.) How Mexican drug cartels have caused a rapid increase in lime prices, putting a . This is a carousel. Reports suggest the Fast and Furious guns are tied to at least 69 killings. 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? So, the ATF was like, "We'll show you! 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. Gun-rights advocates doubt the accuracy of that claim. Here's the Sick Tactic Cartels Are Using to Smuggle Members Into the Total dead including common citizens, murdered politicians and cartel members was at 115,000 estimated for 2006 thru 2018. 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. View of gun butts made of gold, diamonds, emeralds and rubies to form the Mexican flag, in Culiacan, Sinaloa state on July 12, 2011. In January, a Mexican judge charged. Never heard of Fast and Furious? It was weird that, one, he came in with $10,000 cash. I hear Chinese AK-74 types a. He pulls a paper bag out, takes out 10 grand in cash rubber-banded in thousand dollar increments. Even the much worshiped pre-64 Winchester Model 70s were laughed at by the Europeans when they were first marketed even though the pre-war guns were not all that bad but workmanship after WWII went down rapidly at Winchester. In Mexico City, the military has a museum used to train officials, diplomats, and cadets about the war on drugs. A row of glass cases are filled with seized weapons. Mexican cartels and their weapons | SOFREP - SOFREP | Military Culture 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. Im curious, did you even read your own article before posting it? 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. "It doesn't say anything about conduct of retailer, manufacturer or purchaser.". It weighs around 30 pounds and costs as much as a damn car. Theyre American-made guns, Sotomayor told the Union-Tribune. A straw purchase is when someone buys a gun legally, but then hands it over illegally to another person. MEXICAN drug cartels are using high-powered sniper rifles which fire bullets the size of cigars to take down police helicopters. 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. Officials found 17 handguns in his car. After his arrest, Diaz told agents with Homeland Security Investigations he was paid $5,000 upfront to smuggle "fierros," Spanish for "iron," which he understood to be guns,across the border. 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." The group decries the name "assault weapon" and refers to high-powered guns as "modern sporting rifles." Theycould each face up to 10 years in prison. There must be a mistake. 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. And we're on commission at the time, so all of us involved are like sweet! Not with all their progressive laws. 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. 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. Officers found all of those brands, except Century Arms,in the shipments smuggled by Diaz, court records show. Investigators found several guns inside the packages, as well as in a secret compartment in the paneling. 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. But it has expanded operations in the majority of Mexico's states. A gun that can shoot through tanks is pretty useful for that. 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. 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. Oh, surprise, surprise, who was AG of California when this was happening?? He didn't know much about it beside the fact that he wanted it.". NUEVO LAREDO, MexicoOn March 24 . Counting Mexico's Guns - FactCheck.org An arrogant armed American Gringo. 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 . Men claiming to speak for Mexico's most powerful drug cartel have released a video threatening to murder . Thousands upon thousands of firearms are smuggled into Mexico from the U.S. each year. 8. "It's a horrible epidemic, but it . When the Coen Brothers needed someone to show The Dude how to really roll, they could turn to only one man: Hall of Fame professional bowler Barry Asher. Cant have all those firearms in the USA, so lets pipeline them to Mexico. 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. This is how the cartels get the vast majority of their arsenal. How could the ATF make selling firearms to the cartels a more pleasurable process? The Medellin cartel surged to power in the 1980s. Somehow, gum made out of tree bark is still softer than Bazooka. 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.
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