ATF targets gun dealers to stem sales to Mexican cartels

[spookyturtle 9,466]

U.S. law enforcement officials have devised an aggressive and potentially controversial new strategy to crack down on the illegal gun trade to Mexico by targeting cartel networks inside this country and "corrupt" U.S. firearms dealers, according to internal Justice Department documents obtained by NBC News.

The documents also state that the drug traffickers appear to have expanded efforts to acquire firepower in the U.S. by tapping well-developed supply networks beyond the Southwest border region in order to acquire high-powered assault rifles as well as components for improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The new strategy was prepared in recent weeks by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)’s Office of Field Operations, in the wake of stinging criticism of current ATF efforts to stem the flow of weapons to the cartels by the Justice Department’s inspector general.

Labeled “law enforcement sensitive,” it calls for ATF agents to put more emphasis on monitoring the activities of U.S. guns stores and other federally licensed firearms dealers who may be assisting or turning a blind eye to gun purchases by drug cartel operatives. The report describes such “corrupt” U.S. firearms dealers as “high value targets” -- a phrase that could rile gun rights groups and their supporters in Congress who charge ATF is already too aggressive in regulating the firearms industry.

The principal thrust of the revised strategy directs that ATF agents focus on taking down the operations of high-level gun traffickers working for specific Mexican cartels rather than simply trying to arrest low-level “straw buyers,” as they have often done in the past. It also calls on agents to use more sophisticated investigative methods, such as analyzing financial and telephone records, routinely used in terrorism and organized crime cases, and to work more closely with other federal agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The new strategy document, entitled “Project Gunrunner; A Cartel Focused Strategy,” appears designed in part to address criticisms of enforcement efforts contained in a recently circulated draft report by the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General. That report reviewed the efforts of Gunrunner, an ATF initiative that involves dispatching teams of agents known as Gunrunner Impact Teams (or GRITs) to cities near the border that are believed to be primary sources of weapons for the cartels.

But, as disclosed this week by NBC News , Justice Department investigators found that Gunrunner was riddled with “significant weaknesses,” including interagency turf fights, failures to share intelligence and a misguided investigative strategy that focused on low-level street buyers rather than the sophisticated criminal organizations employing them.

Some U.S. national security officials believe that the drug-related violence in Mexico is getting increasingly dire. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, recently suggested the threat from Mexico’s drug cartels was beginning to resemble “an insurgency. In a Sept. 8 internal memo accompanying the new strategy, Mark Chait, ATF’s assistant director for field operations, wrote that “perhaps at no time our history has the investigation of firearms trafficking schemes and networks been more important to public safety, and increasingly, to national security, than now.”

But critics, especially gun-control groups, charge the Obama White House has paid insufficient attention to the problem, backing off from any efforts to tighten U.S. gun laws or even take basic steps such as nominating a director for ATF, the agency that is charged with policing the illegal weapons trade. ATF is currently being run by a deputy director, Kenneth Melson, a former federal prosecutor who critics – including many current and former ATF officials -- complain lacks the stature or clout to advocate for the agency’s interests inside the administration or solve its internal problems that are hindering firearms enforcement.

In just the last few months, law enforcement officials tell NBC, there have been alarming new signs that Mexican drug cartels and other Central and South American criminal organizations have been stepping up weapons purchases in the U.S. When ATF recently dispatched a GRIT team to Phoenix, it seized within a 100 days 1,300 illegally trafficked firearms and 71,000 rounds of ammunition, most of which were believed to have been bound to Mexico.

More significant, ATF recently identified more than 90 percent of the 158 semi-automatic assault rifles seized in May at a “narco training camp” run by Los Zetas, one of the most ruthless of the Mexican cartels, as coming from the United States. Only 13 of the weapons came from Central America, one senior law enforcement official said.

After that seizure, ATF traced a dozen of the assault rifles to a single firearms dealer operating out of his home in Henderson, Nev. On March 29, the dealer had sold the assault rifles to a Mexican national who had worked at a Las Vegas area Jack in the Box. The buyer purchased them for cash under a phony name, using a doctored driver’s license borrowed from a former co worker at the restaurant, according to Tom Chittum, the resident agent in charge of ATF’s Las Vegas office. Just 38 days later, the same high-powered assault rifles were at the Zetas training camp in Higueras, Mexico, 70 miles south of the U.S. border, he said.

The weapons “were purchased with the intent of supplying the (drug) traffickers in Mexico -- I don’t think there’s any dispute about that,” said Chittum. The Mexican national, his father and his brother have all been charged with illegal weapons purchases in the case. No charges have been filed against the firearms dealer and he is not accused of any wrongdoing.

The new strategy document lays out the dimensions of the problem in stark terms. While shying away from specific figures -- which have been the source of fierce debate -- it concludes that “a significant percentage” of all the weapons seized from the Mexican cartels are originating in the U.S.

Just as worrisome, it cites evidence that the cartels are tapping into the U.S. market to buy components for improvised explosive devices or IEDs, the same type of sophisticated bombs that have been used against U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. A senior law enforcement official said that some ATF agents “rang the bell” about the prospect of IEDs being used by the Mexican cartels over a year ago, when they first saw reports of the thefts of commercial explosives near the Southwest border.

The ATF strategy document cites intelligence that the cartels have specifically “tasked” their money laundering, drug distribution and transportation “infrastructures” with “reaching into the United States” to acquire firearms, ammunition and components to construct IEDs. It concludes that three cartels in particular are responsible for most of the purchases -- the Gulf and Sinoloa cartels and Los Zetas, a cartel founded by rogue Mexican military officers.

The strategy appears to accept many of the criticisms in the Justice Department inspector general’s report, especially the ATF’s past emphasis on targeting low-level “straw buyers” hired by cartel operatives to buy weapons at U.S. gun stores. It notes that straw purchasers are easily replaced and often are selected by higher level traffickers because they have no serious criminal records, making them undesirable candidates for prosecution.

“Straw purchasers must be held accountable for their conduct and made ineligible to purchase or possess firearms in the future,” the report states. “However, straw purchasers should more frequently be viewed as persons whose conduct should be investigated as part of a larger conspiracy and as persons whose information, cooperation and assistance should be exposed to the extent possible in further of the ultimate goal of identifying key members of the trafficking enterprise.”

It also calls for ATF agents to work more closely with other federal agencies, particularly the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) run by local U.S. Attorney’s offices and involving all federal law enforcement agencies. The draft inspector general report had sharply criticized ATF agents for not sharing intelligence and working more cooperatively with other federal agencies, especially the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39345370/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

[slim 1,530]

I read this BS the other day.

It would be funny except people actually think it's true.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I read this BS the other day.

It would be funny except people actually think it's true.

The scarey part is that this can be just an excuse to hammer legal dealers and innocent citizens. Since congress will not touch the issue of gun control since the 1994 massacre, and the Supreme Court has finally informed the dumb@sses in wiritng that we really DO have a right to bear arms, they have to find back door ways to attack law abiding citizens.

Seems we have plenty of laws on the books. I doubt that the availablity of guns in the US has much to do with whether wealthy drug cartels can get guns. There are so many Kalishnikovs in circulation (the REAL ones, not the semi-auto look-alikes) that they can't even bring $100 per copy in war torn parts of Africa. Think drug cartels could get a few?

Also it seems strange that while we DO have a problem with drug smuggling here on the NORTHERN border, we have NO CRIME associated with it. You think the ATF is controllng that? My suggetsion...do whatever you are doing in Vermont. That should be sufficient. If not, then guns aren't the problem.

[Peikko 1,575]

The scarey part is that this can be just an excuse to hammer legal dealers and innocent citizens. Since congress will not touch the issue of gun control since the 1994 massacre, and the Supreme Court has finally informed the dumb@sses in wiritng that we really DO have a right to bear arms, they have to find back door ways to attack law abiding citizens.

Seems we have plenty of laws on the books. I doubt that the availablity of guns in the US has much to do with whether wealthy drug cartels can get guns. There are so many Kalishnikovs in circulation (the REAL ones, not the semi-auto look-alikes) that they can't even bring $100 per copy in war torn parts of Africa. Think drug cartels could get a few?

Also it seems strange that while we DO have a problem with drug smuggling here on the NORTHERN border, we have NO CRIME associated with it. You think the ATF is controllng that? My suggetsion...do whatever you are doing in Vermont. That should be sufficient. If not, then guns aren't the problem.

Did you just say with the bolded that there is no crime in the USA that is associated with drug smuggling and related activities? Surely you jest?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Did you just say with the bolded that there is no crime in the USA that is associated with drug smuggling and related activities? Surely you jest?

You're right MC, as uaual. Not really. The bolded part referred to a particular part of the USA, feel free to read the part you didn't understand...again. With all the drug smuggling we have from Canada to Vermont, there were FOUR homicides in Vermont last year. None were related to drug cartels, all were either negligent homicides or related to domestic disputes.

what could be the difference bewteen the drug smugglers coming from Canada and the ones coming from Mexico?

[Heracles 417]

Canada is the furthest thing from Libertarian, therefore, can enact laws to crack down on that in a heartbeat.

Contrary to the opinions of posters with an agenda on here, various law enforcement agencies have traced the guns back to US dealers.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Canada is the furthest thing from Libertarian, therefore, can enact laws to crack down on that in a heartbeat.

Contrary to the opinions of posters with an agenda on here, various law enforcement agencies have traced the guns back to US dealers.

So the problem of guns in the US can be cracked down on by Canada? Or do you mean Canada has some authority Mexico does not? I'm confused, so lets go over the details again.

Canada borders the US. Mexico borders the US. Both countries supply a large amount if illegal drugs (or at least are a conduit for them) to the US. Drug smugglers operate in Canada and Mexico. They can all get guns in the US. The US gun laws in Vermont are the same as the US gun laws in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California.

The US Mexican border is a war zone with more deaths than an actual war zone. Vermont and Quebec are sleepy, quiet bedroom communities. (add to that upstate New York, New Hampshire and Maine, Minnesota, the UP of Michigan, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Washington. Hear of any huge amount of violence in those places?)

Difference is.... Gun laws?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Canada is the furthest thing from Libertarian, therefore, can enact laws to crack down on that in a heartbeat.

therefore, can enact laws to crack down on that in a heartbeat.

contrary to the opinion of posters with an agenda, various law enforcement agencies have traced the guns back to US dealers.

I have to admit. That is the MOST mumbly mouthed, completely non-sensical response to any topic I have ever seen in my entire life. This tops even politicians responses to questions during debates. It is remarkable in its complete meaninglessness. Have you ever considered becoming a Vietnam war hero and running for office as a Democrat?

Not one word means anything. I want to take the time to disect this gem of double talk.

"Canada is the furthest thing from Libertarism" Really? What, exactly does that mean? If it is the furthest thing from individual freedom then Canada is what? A dictatorship? What does that mean, please explain? Lots of Canadians here can verify your answer. I go there a lot and it seems like a pretty free place to me. I even shoot skeet there and they have a lot of skeet clubs right around Montreal, more than you find in US cities of 2 million people, actually, so there is no shortage of guns. Lots of Quebecois belong to my gun club in Vermont. Strange, eh?

contrary to the opinion of posters on here with an agendas Who has an agenda and what is it?

various law enforcement agencies have traced the guns back to US dealers. Which ones have traced this? And so what? You mean various (we will let you name them) law enforcement agencies have found that criminals violated laws and used persons legally allowed to buy guns from dealers and then move them to drug cartels? What does that have to do with legal dealers and how are you going to "crack down" on legal gun sales? Maybe Canada can...in a heartbeat.

And that's it? You close your quote and post it after saying absolutely nothing?

Now I see why you guys often stick to just one-liners. Please, stay FAR away from international borders.

Edited September 28, 2010 by Gary and Alla

[luckytxn 2,265]

I expected the ATF to try to become relevant after the Supreme court affirmed our right to bear arms. I can just see a horde of agents descending now on a lone gun dealer because one gun was traced to one he had sold and imprison them. After that a few more and then all of a sudden more and more gun dealers will give up their license. There was a huge amount of dealers when the laws were changed to be able to have a federal license. Most thought it was because they raised the price of the license so much but it was because they made it where your rights had to be given up totally to own the license. Rights like agents can come into your home at any time with no warrant to conduct "inspections". To search and go over any thing they please in search of whatever they deem they think is relevant. Guess that is ok though as no one complained except the license holders themselves. It is no wonder our rights are taken away so easily little by little.

[Peikko 1,575]

You're right MC, as uaual. Not really. The bolded part referred to a particular part of the USA, feel free to read the part you didn't understand...again. With all the drug smuggling we have from Canada to Vermont, there were FOUR homicides in Vermont last year. None were related to drug cartels, all were either negligent homicides or related to domestic disputes.

what could be the difference bewteen the drug smugglers coming from Canada and the ones coming from Mexico?

Are you suggesting that there is a similar quantity of drugs coming in from Canada as there is from Mexico? Or are you suggesting that somehow there is some significance between legal gun ownership and the lack of drug taking in Vermont? In fact, I have no clue what your argument is or where the cause/effect relationship is meant to be except that this seems to be yet another advertisement on behalf of the Vermont tourist board. I am sure Vermont is a lovely place to live if you like pastoral idylls. I have lived in similar parochial locations - they tend to be beautiful but inward looking and ultimately well, boring.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Are you suggesting that there is a similar quantity of drugs coming in from Canada as there is from Mexico? Or are you suggesting that somehow there is some significance between legal gun ownership and the lack of drug taking in Vermont? In fact, I have no clue what your argument is or where the cause/effect relationship is meant to be except that this seems to be yet another advertisement on behalf of the Vermont tourist board. I am sure Vermont is a lovely place to live if you like pastoral idylls. I have lived in similar parochial locations - they tend to be beautiful but inward looking and ultimately well, boring.

We are aware that you and Heracles have no clue. We were not sure about Heracles until his completely empty headed post. I now look forward to all future posts from him on the topic of Gun Control. So glad he is my opponent. I still cannot believe the complete emptiness of that post. I wonder if that is a natural result of when he responds without plagerizing internet articles or if he actually sat down and thought of that in an effort to be obtuse. What do you bet? If the latter, he is at least clever...should claim to be a Vietnam war hero and run for office as a Democrat. If the former, the response ranks with the most useless application of the English language in history.

That said, I made no comparison of drug quantity, however if you think the quantity of drugs is the reason there is so much crime on the US/Mexico border and virtually none on the US/Canada border...SAY SO and leave gun dealers alone!

The ATF is being used by an anti-gun administration searching for an excuse to infringe on Americans rights in some way that escapes detection by congress and the Supreme Court. They should STOP IT! It does nothing to prevent crime, drug smuggling, illegal immigration or any other issue.

Ideal places are boring for people that require others to think of things for them to do. Creative people find them stimulating, liberating.

When my opponents have run out of logic and start calling names, I have won. When they run out of names and have to insult where I live...they have lost. Next I expect you will say my mother wears army boots.

Your post is two clicks more intelligent than Heracle's Congratulations.

I invite both of you to continue representing the "Pro Gun Control" side of the debate. As often as possible.

Edited September 28, 2010 by Gary and Alla

[Heracles 417]

There is no gun debate, as the stats posted in a plethora of threads illustrate, fewer guns equals less homicide. For every one homicide in a country with gun restrictions, there are five here.

Surely even you can do the maths. If you cannot, then run it by the person you know who was apparently educated under a much more advanced education system.

Edited September 29, 2010 by Heracles

[Peikko 1,575]

We are aware that you and Heracles have no clue. We were not sure about Heracles until his completely empty headed post. I now look forward to all future posts from him on the topic of Gun Control. So glad he is my opponent. I still cannot believe the complete emptiness of that post. I wonder if that is a natural result of when he responds without plagerizing internet articles or if he actually sat down and thought of that in an effort to be obtuse. What do you bet? If the latter, he is at least clever...should claim to be a Vietnam war hero and run for office as a Democrat. If the former, the response ranks with the most useless application of the English language in history.

That said, I made no comparison of drug quantity, however if you think the quantity of drugs is the reason there is so much crime on the US/Mexico border and virtually none on the US/Canada border...SAY SO and leave gun dealers alone!

The ATF is being used by an anti-gun administration searching for an excuse to infringe on Americans rights in some way that escapes detection by congress and the Supreme Court. They should STOP IT! It does nothing to prevent crime, drug smuggling, illegal immigration or any other issue.

Ideal places are boring for people that require others to think of things for them to do. Creative people find them stimulating, liberating.

When my opponents have run out of logic and start calling names, I have won. When they run out of names and have to insult where I live...they have lost. Next I expect you will say my mother wears army boots.

Your post is two clicks more intelligent than Heracle's Congratulations.

I invite both of you to continue representing the "Pro Gun Control" side of the debate. As often as possible.

Great to see you are not letting logic get in the way of anything you post yet again

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Great to see you are not letting logic get in the way of anything you post yet again

<---- logical response