ATF Smuggles AK47s To Mexican Drug Cartels .... "To See Where They Will End Up"

Backstory Feb 3rd ..... AK-47s found at death scene near U.S.-Mexico border were part of ATF probe. In a sign of the cost of widespread U.S. weapons smuggling into Mexico, federal law enforcement sources have confirmed that two guns, part of a series of purchases that were being monitored by authorities, were found at the scene of the firefight that killed a U.S. Border Patrol agent in southern Arizona.

Sources said U.S. authorities did not have the ability to adequately monitor the movement of the guns toward the southern border, in part because of current laws and low levels of staffing.
As a result, "the next time they became aware of those weapons was when they turned up at the crime scene," said one source, who, like others connected to the case, spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing criminal investigation.

"My worst fear was that they would be used in a homicide of a Mexican military official or a Mexican police official. It crossed my mind that they would be used against U.S. forces, but I didn't think it would happen this soon," said another federal law enforcement source.

The disclosure comes amid a widening congressional investigation into allegations lodged by whistleblowers within the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They allege the agency has been aware of the purchase of assault weapons in the U.S. by buyers suspected of selling across the border, but failed to adequately track them.

Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has asked the bureau for detailed answers about its gun smuggling investigation, known as Project Gunrunner.

In a letter to the bureau, Grassley said there were "serious concerns that the ATF may have become careless, if not negligent, in implementing the Gunrunner strategy."

Grassley has focused on allegations that two AK-47s purchased with cash from a dealer in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 16, 2010, were then used in the Dec. 14 firefight that left Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry dead. Federal sources said agents learned of the sale of the guns several days after the purchase.

The whistleblowers have complained that Project Gunrunner has focused on gathering intelligence on suspicious weapons sales, but has put less attention on actually stopping those weapons from moving south. Some also have complained that Mexican authorities had been dangerously kept out of the loop.

Federal sources confirmed that there has been controversy over the program within the bureau and, at least in the early stages, little communication with Mexican authorities, many of whom are often targeted with U.S.-smuggled weapons.But the complaints were "overruled," he said, by both the Phoenix office and bureau headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Tom Mangan, spokesman for the bureau's Phoenix office, which oversaw the latest series of arrests under Project Gunrunner, said he was "absolutely unaware" of any instance in which federal investigators knowingly allowed weapons to be smuggled into Mexico.

At the same time, he and others said, federal agents were not always able to ascertain what happened to weapons after being purchased by straw buyers -- legal residents who buy the weapons from licensed gun dealers, but end up selling the guns to Mexican drug cartels. They said this was in part because there is no federal law preventing the sales of multiple assault weapons to individual buyers, even when those buyers seem suspicious.

As the allegations have come to light, gun dealers across the southwest border have said the ATF has for years been quietly gathering information about questionable multiple purchases and even asking gun dealers to gather information, including descriptions and license plate numbers of suspicious buyers.

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[IranContraScumDid911]

Feb. 9th Obama says tracking the bulk sale of high-powered rifles from border states gunshops which legally sell thousands of assault weapons that end up in Mexico each year is not an emergency, and has rejected a request from the U.S. agency that monitors weapons sales to do so without public review. Sounds like the ATF was trying to hide the story. "a request from the ATF ...... without public review". I wonder why they would want that?

[thumminxy]

ATF are such scum, first Waco now this!

[joesphx19]

Dirty cops, the scum of the earth.

[aaroncoats1]

it's amazing how Attorney Gen. Holder and Napolitano (sp?) say they knew nothing about it. I question if this was really a way to erradicate the 2nd Amendment or just overthrow the Mexican Government for some reason.

[alphasxsignal]

Assholes

[ekultus]

Obama is a liar!!

[Popsicle22754]

ATF restricts gun sales to legal citizens in the US, but yet sell guns to cartels to kill and commit crimes...The BATF is one of the more useless government agencies.

[LesPaulCustom79]

BATF and Department of Justice ASSCLOWNS READ THIS:

Definition of TREASON: 1. Aiding and comforting the enemies of your sovereign nation (United States of America). 2. The betrayal of one's country by waging war against it, or by conciously and purposefully acting to aid the enemies of your country (United States)-(For example: Allowing AK-47 and AR-15 semiautomatic weapons and Barrett .50 cal. sniper rifles to be sold to the enemies (Mexican drug cartels) of your country (United States).

[LesPaulCustom79]

BATF = (B)uttholes (A)ssholes (T)raitors and (F)uckers

[LesPaulCustom79]

ATF is a bunch of Traitors not to mention unadultered imbecilic moronic assclowns.

[ranger4usa83]

what you all fail to realize is how corrupt our government really is! we are and have been sold out to corruption ever since the united states began the federal reserve act. they deal drugs and weapons and use the money from the illegal activity to finance their wars and bribe their puppets all over the world!! if we continue to close our eyes and lie to ourselves, then we are worse then the corrupt criminals running and ruining our country! I hope all of you can sleep at night knowing all this

[99barrels]

Asst AG Lanny Breuer was DIRECTLY implicated and should be FIRED. The other person DIRECTLY responsible was the Acting ATF chief. Both of these men were on-the-scene inside MEXICO. They were NOT “at arms length”. These EXCUSES for managers are just that - EXCUSES for a DOJ/ATF cadre of lawless out-of-control TRAITORS who got caught for once. All the while, Hillary was parading all over the news blaming AMERICAN gun-owners for supplying guns to the Mexican drug cartels. These pukes makes me SICK!