“Two guns sold to a Mexican cartel and used in the high-profile kidnapping and murder of a Mexican lawyer last year were purchased under the U.S. Justice Department’s failed anti-gun trafficking program Operation Fast and Furious,” Fox News reports. “[Mario Gonzalez Rodriquez], brother of the now former attorney general of Chihuahua, Patricia Gonzalez Rodriguez, was kidnapped in October. He was taken by six gunmen from the Sinaloa cartel and tortured extensively over two weeks. Three videos posted online show Gonzalez surrounded by hooded armed men with his hands and feet bound and apparently being electrocuted with electrical devises attached to his feet . . .

The incident received heavy publicity in Mexico – not just because he was a family member of a top law enforcement officer, but because he claims in the video that his sister, while attorney general, protected the Juarez cartel, and that she ordered the murder of two journalists and a member of the Mormon community in that state.

His sister went on national TV and denied the claims and said the kidnappers belonged to the rival Sinoloa cartel.

Gonzalez’s body was found last November in a shallow grave outside the city after armed federal police forces raided the kidnappers’ compound. Mexican officials arrested the suspects and confiscated the guns.

And now we know that agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) allowed two of the weapons—AK-47s—to walk from the U.S. to Mexico.

This new revelation is sure to increase the pressure on the ATF and the Department of Justice to reveal who knew what about anti-gun running gun running program when. Equally, we can expect the Mexican government to get their proverbial knickers in a twist. Which could really open a can of worms . . .

Throughout the Congressional inquiry into Gunwalker, analysts and investigators alike seem to have taken the assertion that the Mexican government knew nothing about the ATF’s screw-up at face value. We may soon learn that this was not the case—which would account for Calderon’s initial silence on the subject.

What’s more, Representative Issa may start to prod the real scandal: America’s tacit support of Mexican drug cartels through their support of President Calderon’s profoundly corrupt government. Truth be told, U.S. military and law enforcement weapon sales have armed the cartels. And the administration knows it.

Consider this: H&K stopped selling automatic rifles to the Mexican law enforcement officials last year, when it became abundantly clear that the guns were “seeping” to the bad guys. Do you really think the U.S. government didn’t have the same information about “legal” American weapon sales?

How—or if—these sales tie in with the ATF’s effort I don’t know. But I’d like to find out. I think.

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4 COMMENTS

  1. Why are these called “ATF death watch”. More like “more assualts on the right to bear arms watch.” The iron law of government tells us that as a result of this false flag attack against the 2nd amendment, the agency will receive more money and power with which they can violate our rights. What is the answer when 8th graders in a government school can’t read? More money, more power. Nothing gives the state a boost like a self inflicted wound. Look at the “war on drugs” and the “war on terror”.

    • StateIsEvil, you’ve got a point. The name “ATF Death Watch” is something of an “inside baseball” play here at TTAG. In a former life, Our Fearless Leader (a.k.a. “RF”) was the founder, editor-in-chief, proprietor, and head honcho of The Truth About Cars, where he established a feature chronicling the foibles and systemic snafus that were the old GM, in a regular series of posted entitled “GM Death Watch.” Down the road, RF created similarly-themed series entitled alternately “Chrysler Suicide Watch” or “Chrysler Death Watch.” The GM Death Watch feature attracted the attention of some of the car magazines, and the site took off like the proverbial (pocket) rocket. In fact, it was that publicity that got my attention. When I contacted Robert to express my enthusiasm for his work and to suggest that he include features on automobile marketing, he said “Write it yourself, and I’ll publish it.” And he did. Flashforward to the present, and here we are working on what we think is the fastest-growing blog about guns in the free world. As our coverage of the ATF debacle grew, I suggested to Robert that we put the stories together under the “Death Watch” banner, both because it’s catchy, and because both RF and I believe the ATF needs to be broken up, it’s lawless attitude cut off at the knees, and it’s responsibilities subsumed into other agencies. The name “Death Watch” is in a way, expressing our hope that saner heads will prevail and the ATF will either cease to be, or will be remade in such a drastic fashion that it’s history of wretched excess will draw to a close. Think of the title as our (small) part in the war against rogue law enforcement.

  2. This really is crazy. How could the ATF even get clearance to export weapons for a known enemy of our neighboring country? What sort of idiot begins an operation without a planned end, and with possible consequences? These people are suffering enough without our government furthering criminal enterprise. I really fail to see how a cross border operation could take place without Presidential approval.

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