The M82 can easily penetrate bulletproof vests, concrete walls and even tanks, says its manufacturer Barrett Firearms. Colt Super .38 pistol: Colt, based in West Hartford, Conn., is the corporate legacy of Samuel Colt, who popularized the revolver in the years before the Civil War. LMFAO. 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! Drug Cartels: 5 Most Powerful in the World | Desert Hope CJNG members posted a video that went viral on social media in July2020 showing off their arsenal of tanks and .50-caliber guns. 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. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? 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. 2. There, members oftheGulf Cartel and CJNGhave formed a partnership, Jones said. This made for an interesting customer service dilemma: How do you deal with a customer you know is: 1. "It's a horrible epidemic, but it . Mexican Drug Cartels Agree: American-Made Guns Are the Best If not, they should be left alone. . 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. "We've got agents and we've got trained criminal investigators from the host government in Mexico working investigations in Mexico," he said. It's made it easier than ever to drive to any Texas gun shop and legally stockpile guns, whether or not the customers belong to a Mexican cartel. How Mexican drug cartels have caused a rapid increase in lime prices, putting a . One exhibit features weapons seized from cartel members. American guns are ok, and many of the gun companies from the above countries have some US manufacturing. Hell, our source might have sold El Chapo that very rifle. Mexico is suing US gun makers, arguing that millions of American guns have illegally flowed across the border and fueled homicide rates. It fires 5.7X28mm cartridges, referred to as "mata policias" (cop killers) in Mexico because they can penetrate bulletproof vests. 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. I mean the cartels. 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. Of those murders, at least 20,005 were carried out with guns. [and I wonder what fraction of those murders were carried out at the behest of federal authorities by their cartel buddiesthe same Federales that prohibit citizens from arming up to defend themselves against the cartels.]. We sat down with "James," who worked at one of the gun stores the ATF ordered to sell firearms to drug cartels. it would help a great deal if the U.S. had much tighter gun control and drug enforcement.. 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. U.S. agents also are helping train Mexican police on investigative techniques and evidence collection and improving intelligence sharing, Lestrange said. NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Ioan Grillo about the illegal flow of guns from the U.S. to Mexico. Automatic guns and rocket-propelled grenades follow drug trade routes back to China, Guatemala, and the black markets in Central and South America. A museum in Mexico City has dozens of seized paraphilia on display. How Texas's gun laws allow Mexican cartels to arm themselves to the In November 2009, the ATF's Phoenix field office launched an operation in which guns bought by drug-cartel straw purchasers in the U.S. were allowed to "walk" across the border into 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. build the wall you promised us! Fake News. He claimed he didn't know the names of the gun buyers or their cartel affiliations. 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. The Mexican government estimates that more than half a million guns are smuggled from the U.S. each year, arming Mexico's deadly cartel wars. 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. Withhold all federal funds from any state if it or any locality is found in violation. . . No way the Democrats would support increasing the numbers of guns in the world. The majority of U.S. states allow citizens to buy .50-caliber weapons . The Chicago study proved guns used in crime were often at least 11 years old and had passed through many hands making it impossible to trace them to the person that used them in a crime. Dear Mexico: clean up your own house before telling us how to take care of ours.. I hear Chinese AK-74 types a. 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. 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. First manufactured in the 1980s, the M82 rose to prominence during the first Gulf War when it was adopted by theUS military. But, who gave the arms to the Mexican cartels? https://www.judicialwatch.org/corruption-chronicles/law-enforcement-sources-gun-used-paris-terrorist-attacks-came-phoenix/. These firearms couldnt possibly coming through California. ", "The ATF said, 'Don't refuse 'em, just let 'em go. Its just to easy to buy up second hand guns and ship them to Mexico. Cartel forces seized a major regional capital city in broad daylight and defeated the national armed forces in open battle. 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. 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. "They didn't look like they were all connected One guy came in with his wife and kids. Its a very symbolic weapon in the narco world and for the narco esthetic, Grandmaison said. On the Shelf. ATF: the favorite guns of Mexican drug cartels (Updated) Meanwhile, the Mexican government blames prominent U.S. gun manufacturers for the influx of cartel weaponsin its lawsuit against them in federal court in Boston. California, by contrast, accounted for 90 guns, three percent of the total. 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. Evening roundup with our editors' favorite stories of the day . 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. 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. The Barrett M82 was a serious problem for security forces because its armor-piercing bullets can knock out the motors of reconnaissance vehicles and endanger helicopters, said aMexicanofficial, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He was badly wounded, while two bodyguards and an innocent bystander were killed. An admirer of Colombian crime boss Pablo Escobar places flowers on his . I'm like, 'makes sense, he's a military kid.' 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. 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.". 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.". "We were being told, 'Oh, we're tracking their phones, we've got their license plates,' but it just kept happening. Mexican and U.S. authorities arrested Guzman in February; he had eluded authorities for decades. The group decries the name "assault weapon" and refers to high-powered guns as "modern sporting rifles." Along Mexico's Riviera Maya, Tourists, Drugs and Violence That leaves the military as the only ones able to battle thecartels.. Mexican cartels and their weapons | SOFREP - SOFREP | Military Culture Well, crap. Last week, the Treasury sanctioned two Mexican businessmen and four Sinaloa Cartel members in connection with the illicit methamphetamine and fentanyl trade. The drug bust was a multi-agency effort involving the. Enough-time for real action. I would take that way further. It is not clear if Century Arms imported the Draco in that case. See any connections here? Why Mexico Is Right to Sue U.S. Pass universal background checks, end loopholes: gunshow and Charleston. Mexico: U.S. Supplies 90% Of Cartel's Guns - CBS News Serial numbers really do tell a story. Of course, thats not primary the message Newsweek and the mainstream media (not to mention Mexican officials) want readers to take away from their report. ATF agents say almost 100 of those weapons have turned up at cartel-related crime scenes in. The No. Sincerely, Same questions. Moodys says these cities may see prices drop up to 10%. Mexico remains a cautionary preview of what might happen in America if we adopted Mexican-style gun control.. Today, the two primary uses of the Barrett are "anti-material" (aka destroying enemy vehicles) and "ridiculous toy for rich people." Instead, the ATF lost 1,400 (or more!) Agreed. Andrea Waguespack is a features digital producer for the Houston Chronicle. Excuse the pun, but when are you gonna pull the trigger on this? The Tools of Mexico's Drug Cartels, From Landmines to Monster Trucks Email us here. Fast & Furious: Obama's First Scandal | National Review It all started in 2017, when Norma Llamas Rodriguez, 47,. In Mexico City, the military has a museum used to train officials, diplomats, and cadets about the war on drugs. A straw purchase is when someone buys a gun legally, but then hands it over illegally to another person. I would like to buy Holder and Obama for what they are worth, to sell them for what they THINK theyre worth. 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. The Medellin cartel surged to power in the 1980s. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Why was President Biden talking about Utahs 2002 Winter Games at the White House? 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 . 6 Ugly Things I Learned Selling Guns To Drug Cartels. Well short answer. Did they buy ammo? In fact, according to Newsweek, cartel criminals view American guns as status symbols because, well, they work. blames CJNG and the Sinaloa Cartel for the bulk of America's illicit fentanyl, U.S. Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Actively providing firearms to one of the most dangerous organizations in the world and American guns help arm Mexican drug cartels, including CJNG - USA Today 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. 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. Bingeworthy Mafia and Drug Cartel TV Series - Really Into This The government accuses gun makers and suppliers of knowingly flooding the market with firearms attractive to drug cartels. 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. This story has been shared 164,095 times. It got to the point where we would give the ATF our cellphone numbers. 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 . Mexico's ex-public security chief convicted in US drug case "These kids weren't sketchy looking dudes; they were all clean-cut, and some were Hispanic. Some are Russian, some Cuban made. "It doesn't say anything about conduct of retailer, manufacturer or purchaser.". In fact these Paperwork-Americans are even more American than us evil racists! Or is it because the CA border is not a barrier to trafficking contraband? None of the manufacturers, including Barrett, responded to Reuters requests for comment. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Same guys, different job. Thanks for contacting us. Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan argued against doubts raised by the National Rifle Association that ninety percent of all assault weapons seized in . Robert Evans just wrote a book, A Brief History of Vice, where he experiments with strange ancient drugs. Latin American criminal gangs have embraced social media and messaging platforms to spread narco culture and sell drugs. 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. 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.". A total of 852, 29 percent, were from Arizona. 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. This is how the cartels get the vast majority of their arsenal. 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. There were undercover agents in the store, sometimes. "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. 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? Havent you heard anyone who comes to the US and gets a magic piece of paper is just as American and you and I. Known as "El Mencho," he commands the 5,000 member CJNG, nowas powerful as the Sinaloa Cartel but less known. These guys aren't stupid. 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. Its all too easy to legally ship a batch of guns to a South American Corrupt Government that just happens to have some come up missing and they get sold to drug cartels for big bucks. We were a large store you meet these border patrol agents coming to pick up extra stuff. , Mexican Drug Cartels Say Americas Gunms The Best , , , , , , fck n A ,HiPoint told yah so. (PS, you may want to arm your Civilians so they can fight the cartel) 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. 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. Drug cartels have been using monster type armored cars for about 15 The gun should not be in the hands of civilians, the official said. Would they be interested in Hello Kitty grips or SpongeBob sights? 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. Counting Mexico's Guns - FactCheck.org Total dead including common citizens, murdered politicians and cartel members was at 115,000 estimated for 2006 thru 2018. He sent in the federal police along with army units in an attempt to eliminate high value . The Model 70 receivers were not even heat treated rather they were made from straight bar stock unlike the double heat treated Mausers. AMLO Has Fueled Mexico's Drug War - Foreign Policy From the finest gems, to gold-plated weapons, law enforcement officials say these accused drug dealers have a passion for flashy things. Puerto Vallarta, a tourist mecca now in the hands of the Narcos not mexican. Treasury sanctions Mexican gun trafficker with cartel ties Mexico targets US arms dealers for supplying weapons to Mexican drug 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. SALT LAKE CITY A Utah woman is heading to federal prison for buying dozens of high powered rifles for Mexican drug cartel members. A 9mm browning pistol has the diamond encrusted initials of LMJ. No secret, everyone knew it, too. Have a story to share with Cracked? After paying the piso and traveling throughCoahuila, Diaz still wouldhave faced a 14-hour drive south toMichoacn. 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. He campaigned on "Hugs, Not Bullets.". 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. We can reduce the carnage if pols have the guts to act, Eric Holder (@EricHolder) August 5, 2019, Enough-time for real action. Comparing it to Belgium and Czech and German Model 98s made the M70 look like a piece of trash. That figures to 17.6 percent of the 29,000 figure for guns seized in Mexico, as given by the country's attorney general. Majority all arms used in Mexico, where gun control laws are very strict, are bought in the U.S . 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 . Cartels exploiting border chaos to smuggle fentanyl into US - New York Post U.S. Customs agents searched hisvehicle at the Eagle Passcrossing and found 43 shotguns, rifles and pistols. 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. Gunmen who left behind at least one M82riflewere seen spraying the armor-plated car ofpolicechief Omar Garcia Harfuch with high-velocity rounds. "And they're sending leads up to us to connect the dots.". "The brand names are inconsequential what matters is that our laws aren't being enforced," said Andrew Arulanandam, director of public affairs for the National Rifle Association. And that region continues struggling with. What Newell said quite clearly is that . 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 . U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents contend Vasquez told them he was headed to the city ofMatehuala, a seven-hour drive south of Laredo, Texas, in the Mexican state of San Luis Potos. View of gun butts made of gold, diamonds, emeralds and rubies to form the Mexican flag, in Culiacan, Sinaloa state on July 12, 2011. Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs and Cartels. "You put on a face, like any customer service job, and you try to build a rapport with these guys. 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. 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 Guns are funneled into the closest or easiest crossing into Mexico and they come from other states with lax laws. 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. Mexican Cartels Are Arming Themselves to the Teeth With Powerful US I do not fault Mexico for failing to try, but I do wonder if somebody down there on the anti-cartel side is simultaneously trying to fail? Our source and his employer had just been drawn into the ATF's latest kooky adventure. "I was working in a very large gun store in Phoenix at the time, and we sold everything. US guns help arm Mexican drug cartels, like CJNG - The Courier-Journal Mexico suffered more than 40,000 fatal shootings in 2018, according to public briefings by Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. Mexico: 18 bodies found after suspected drug cartel gun battle Did you feel they enjoyed their purchasing experience? Mexican drug cartel threatens to kill TV reporter - BBC News Among Mexican traffickers, it has earned itself the nickname "cuerno de chivo" or "goat horn" because of its distinctive banana-shaped magazine. Thirty-four. It depicts one cartel member dressed in a garish shirt, cowboy hat and belt buckle. MEXICAN drug cartels are using high-powered sniper rifles which fire bullets the size of cigars to take down police helicopters. Pre-order it now! Im having a memory lapsewhich guns are made in Mexico, exactly? Cartels:As Mexican drug groups cut in on avocado sales by extorting growers, armed locals fight back. Reports suggest the Fast and Furious guns are tied to at least 69 killings. [most of his city is north of the border so that shouldnt be a surprise. In fact, according to Newsweek, cartel criminals view American guns as status symbols because, well, they work. All the illegal purchases followed the same basic pattern, "They would always call, because they always wanted to know the exact amount ahead of time -- usually same day -- and make sure we had one in stock. Mexican drug cartels armed with sniper rifles that can take down So, you would come in, say hello, shoot the shit, ask him about his kid. ", 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.". Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. ", The Barrett is a rifle with almost no practical criminal uses. If someone is breaking the law, go after them. Gunmen battled on a beach near Puerto Morelos as tourists scrambled into a Hyatt . Smuggled guns used in cartel hits - CNN.com Gun-rights advocates doubt the accuracy of that claim. How in the hell can any society withstand such incredible violence and not crumble? Century Arms Draco 7.62X39mm pistol: Another Romanian import. 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. Mexico: U.S. Supplies 90% Of Cartel's Guns.