The place is called La Leche and it continues to be one of Vallarta's tourist attractions. A Drug Cartel Just Defeated The Mexican Military In Battle Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Hearst survey parallel the findings of a Violence Policy Center report from 2009 documenting 21 gun-trafficking court cases involving 1,700 weapons funneled to Mexico, as well as a federal law enforcement report this year, based on 2,921 guns recovered in Mexico and traced to original U.S. purchases between December 2006 and November 2010. 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. Was Operation Fast And Furious Really Part Of A Secret Deal - Forbes They have special loopholes that allow them to form their own government or something like that. 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. 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. Diaz, who pleaded guilty, and Vasquezareawaiting sentencing. By the way, where were these officials when the Obama administration was running guns into Mexico as part of Operation Fast and Furious? Mexico's drug war fought with drones, human shields, gunships Why Mexico Is Right to Sue U.S. 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. The government accuses gun makers and suppliers of knowingly flooding the market with firearms attractive to drug cartels. Straw purchases for others are a violation of federal firearms law. A gold-plated AK-47 rifle seized to alleged leader of "The Resistance" drugs cartel, Ramiro Pozos Gonzalez, aka "El Molca", is presented to the press in Mexico City, on September 12, 2012. See any connections here? 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. MEXICO: Stop the flow of Immigrants going north and maybe we will do something about guns going south across the border. "Second Amendment Sanctuary" Texas Arms Mexican Drug Cartels These guys aren't stupid. There were undercover agents in the store, sometimes. Among Mexican traffickers, it has earned itself the nickname "cuerno de chivo" or "goat horn" because of its distinctive banana-shaped magazine. A handgun covered with gold and money sized to alleged financial agent of the drug "Cartel del Golfo", Manuel Alquisires Garcia, aka "El Meme" and also know as Agustin Sanchez Morua, are shown during his presentation to the press on September 12, 2011 in Mexico City. "It doesn't say anything about conduct of retailer, manufacturer or purchaser.". First manufactured in the 1980s, the M82 rose to prominence during the first Gulf War when it was adopted by theUS military. Cartels seek out military-grade weapons, he said: "The bigger the better.". Pass national weapons carry reciprocity with jail time and heavy fines for any government agent who violates any citizens carry rights. 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. 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. ), We want USA to be majority white! There must be a mistake. Mexico's Weapons Seizures Map Out Cartel Firepower - InSight Crime We can reduce the carnage if pols have the guts to act, Eric Holder (@EricHolder) August 5, 2019, Enough-time for real action. American guns are ok, and many of the gun companies from the above countries have some US manufacturing. 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. I would be one of the richest people on the planet. 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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. See I figured they were big fans of German guns, going back to that huge illegal arms contract HK won for the cartels awhile back. Mexican Cartels Are Arming Themselves to the Teeth With Powerful US John Boch, you said: Former Mexico security chief convicted in U.S. for taking cartel bribes Build the wall. 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. How U.S. I'm like, 'makes sense, he's a military kid.' "We have adequate laws on the books. Violence is rampant across Mexico. Alfred Guzman and Ivan Guzman are the sons of Joaqun (El Chapo) Guzmn Loera better known as the infamous kingpin of the Sinaloa cartel, which is North America's post powerful, and feared, organization trafficking drugs and laundering money worldwide. Accessories?". There, members oftheGulf Cartel and CJNGhave formed a partnership, Jones said. Soldiers stand guard around a presentation of arms captured in an operation against the Gulf cartel in Mexico City, Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. Debt Collector and Drug Distributor for Cartel Connected, Violent, Drug Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to . It was run by brothers Jorge Luis, Juan David, and Fabio Ochoa Vasquez; Pablo Escobar; Carlos Lehder; George Jung; and Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez. Guns Drive Cartel Violence in Mexico. They are still covering for the Obama administration. CJNG members posted a video that went viral on social media in July2020 showing off their arsenal of tanks and .50-caliber guns. This story has been shared 100,034 times. This small-town Oregon bricklayer had a side hustle: Gun supplier for 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. And he didn't want any ammo for it or any optics for it. How in the hell can any society withstand such incredible violence and not crumble? Mexico targets US arms dealers for supplying weapons to Mexican drug Mexico Sues US Gun Makers Over Illegal Guns Flowing Across - Insider The drug bust was a multi-agency effort involving the. El Mencho:Daughter of Mexican cartel boss sentenced to US prison for violation of Kingpin Act. 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. So, thats bad, thats a horror. I think thats pretty fair. What kind of weapons do the cartels typically use? Is it really - Quora Theyre American-made guns, Sotomayor told the Union-Tribune. Did you feel they enjoyed their purchasing experience? We were a large store you meet these border patrol agents coming to pick up extra stuff. Have a story to share with Cracked? Pre-order it now! 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.. The M82 can easily penetrate bulletproof vests, concrete walls and even tanks, says its manufacturer Barrett Firearms. Try again Jethro your out of your league. 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. ", The cartels were smart enough to pick buyers who wouldn't instantly set off alarm bells (aka clean-cut and often white). Cracked is up for TWO Webby Awards, for Best Humor Site and Best Video Entertainment! 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. So, you would come in, say hello, shoot the shit, ask him about his kid. Diazis part of what cartel members call the Hormiga, Spanish for ant, referring to an ant trail of reliably flowing weapons transported from the southern U.S. to Mexico, said JaesonJones, who tracks cartel trends and previouslymanaged the daily operations of the Texas Rangers'Border Security Operations Center. is on the streets after a gun battle between Mexican security forces and suspected cartel gunmen, in Villa Union, Mexico . By Ioan Grillo Bloomsbury: 400 pages, $28 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org . Tell you what, you let me have what the Cartels are able to get from the Mexican Military and Ill let you have what I have now. 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. In 2019, a record 68 such weapons were captured. Mexico suffered more than 40,000 fatal shootings in 2018, according to public briefings by Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. I would take that way further. ", It was a good gig for a while. I would like to buy Holder and Obama for what they are worth, to sell them for what they THINK theyre worth. Further investigation revealed that from Jan. 21, 2020 to July 11, 2022, Hernandez had purchased 231 handguns 9mm's, .380's and .22's which officials suspect he smuggled into Mexico. 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. I came here to say this. It's a more powerful version of the Beretta popularized in James Bond novels and films. 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. 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. In Michoacn, the global powerhouse Crtel Jalisco Nueva Generacin, or CJNG, has been engaged in a long and deadly battle with Sinaloa and other rival cartels. Today, the two primary uses of the Barrett are "anti-material" (aka destroying enemy vehicles) and "ridiculous toy for rich people." U.S. agents also are helping train Mexican police on investigative techniques and evidence collection and improving intelligence sharing, Lestrange said. Actively providing firearms to one of the most dangerous organizations in the world and So CA is itself one of those neighboring States that is (cough) responsible for illegal firearms/use across a boundry? It works the same way when gun runners from the U.S. funnel second hand guns into Mexico. The gun should not be in the hands of civilians, the official said. (Hollie McKay/Fox News) Moreover, a total of 28,741 recovered weapons . We know theyre being illegally trafficked through California into Tijuana. 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. "We were being told, 'Oh, we're tracking their phones, we've got their license plates,' but it just kept happening. We'll sell those guys so many guns they drown in them!" Drug Cartels: 5 Most Powerful in the World | Desert Hope 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. 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.". Officers found all of those brands, except Century Arms,in the shipments smuggled by Diaz, court records show. Damn Democrat Pipeline! An arrogant armed American Gringo. 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. That included riflesmanufactured in Tennessee and Arkansas capable of downing aircraft or ripping through armored police cars andtanks. 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. Declare Eric Holder a domestic terrorist and arrest him. A total of 852, 29 percent, were from Arizona. This is a carousel. There is strict gun control in Mexico despite the fact that bearing arms is constitutionally protected. Known as "El Mencho," he commands the 5,000 member CJNG, nowas powerful as the Sinaloa Cartel but less known. Some are Russian, some Cuban made. Besides, the Belgian five-seven was supposed to be the ultimate status symbol], Tijuanas Director of Public Safety, Marco Antonio Sotomayor, says most of the guns flowing into his city come from north of the border. "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. June 23, 2022, 4:35 PM. We might have chalked him up as just another Call Of Duty fan with impulse problems, but our source considered this a "red flag" for straw purchasing. Viewers see this group of teenagers create their own drug organization. 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. 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. [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. Yet, none of that is relevant, history is often forgotten. Treasury sanctions Mexican gun trafficker with cartel ties The article, titled, "The U.S. Must Defeat Mexico's Drug Cartels", . Our source and his employer had just been drawn into the ATF's latest kooky adventure. In Mexico City, the military has a museum used to train officials, diplomats, and cadets about the war on drugs. Cartel "Narco Tanks," Heavy Weapons On Full Display During Battle Over Drug cartels have the flashiest of weapons in their arsenal. Are ticket costs pricing Houston Astros fans out of Opening Day? A large-scale drug investigation in the Valley led to the seizure of millions of fentanyl pills, thousands of pounds of meth and more. Mexico: U.S. Supplies 90% Of Cartel's Guns - CBS News 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. https://www.judicialwatch.org/corruption-chronicles/law-enforcement-sources-gun-used-paris-terrorist-attacks-came-phoenix/. Called a "technical" by US military.) I hear Chinese AK-74 types a. They're probably gonna go to super-prison for that. Smuggled guns used in cartel hits - CNN.com For thecartels, the M82 has also become a status symbol. Why doesnt it stop guns from going through their border into Mexico? After paying the piso and traveling throughCoahuila, Diaz still wouldhave faced a 14-hour drive south toMichoacn. It got to the point where we would give the ATF our cellphone numbers. California already has background check laws & every other useless gun control policy you fools have dreamed up. Top ATF officials have said in congressional testimony that 90 percent of the guns submitted for tracing by Mexican authorities are from the United States. "These kids weren't sketchy looking dudes; they were all clean-cut, and some were Hispanic. Instead, the ATF lost 1,400 (or more!) Not with all their progressive laws. And follow Robert on Twitter. 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. All of the straw buyers were arrested in one fell swoop in 2011. "As a result of the continued use and possession of many of these guns, residents of Mexico will continue to be killed and injured by these guns, and the public will continue to fear for their health, safety, and welfare," Americanattorneys wrote in the suit on behalf of Mexico. It fires the same round as the AK-47 but is significantly shorter and easier to conceal. You have lost 4,020 Federal, State, and Municipal Police killed by the cartels. 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. US guns help arm Mexican drug cartels, like CJNG - The Courier-Journal 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. Did they buy ammo? Mexican cartels and their weapons | SOFREP - SOFREP | Military Culture ", Spencer Platt/Getty Images News/Getty Images, "Once the ATF was more involved, we had a separate set of paperwork. Theres a little bit of The Dude in a lot of Jeff Bridges performances. "Operation Fast And Furious," the one you've actually heard about, launched in 2009. Mexican cartels exploiting border chaos to smuggle fentanyl into US By Isabel Vincent June 10, 2022 3:53pm Updated Mexican drug cartels are taking advantage of the chaotic influx of migrants. ", Yvonne Hemsey/Hulton Archive/Getty Images. 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. Latin American criminal gangs have embraced social media and messaging platforms to spread narco culture and sell drugs. I tend to like Belgian, Swiss, German, Austrian, and Italian guns. The cartel can trace its roots to the 1960s and '70s, when farming families entered the marijuana business. A spokeswoman for Bushmaster did not respond to repeated calls for comment. 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. 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 . Reports: CIA Working with Mexican Drug Cartels - The New American 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. You also said: 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. Mexico: 18 bodies found after suspected drug cartel gun battle The bullet-ridden bodies of 18 men were discovered in Zacatecas state after apparent confrontation between suspected. November 23, 2022 Contact: Phone Number: (571) 387-3831 For Immediate Release Debt Collector and Drug Distributor for Cartel Connected, Violent, Drug Distribution Ring, Sentenced to 10 years in Prison Previous slide Next slide Handgun in leather holster Plastic bag of fentanyl pills Move slider to item #1 Move slider to item #2 Gun-rights advocates doubt the accuracy of that claim. Fast and Furious was a Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) "gunrunning" operation in which the Obama administration allowed guns to be sold to Mexican drug cartels in the hope the weapons would be recovered at crime scenes. The recent California shooting was done by a maniac who drove for almost 12 hours to commit crime. 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. One exhibit features weapons seized from cartel members.