Posted on 05/07/2008 12:03:00 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
PHOENIX — The arrest of a gun shop owner on Tuesday broke up a suspected firearms trafficking operation that supplied violent Mexican drug cartels, authorities said.
Agents raided X Calibur Guns and arrested George Iknadosian after undercover agents bought guns at the store indicating they were to be trafficked to Mexico, said Carlos Baixauli, a special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Iknadosian, 46, knowingly sold at least 650 firearms, including high-end semiautomatic pistols and assault-style rifles, to drug cartels, the ATF said.
The investigation began 11 months ago after some guns involved in crimes in Mexico were traced to X Caliber Guns in Phoenix, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said.
Also arrested were two Mexican brothers who are accused of recruiting "straw buyers" to purchase weapons at X Calibur Guns that would then be trafficked to the drug cartels.
Hugo Gamez, 26, and Cesar Gamez, 28, were legally living in the Phoenix metro area, but Baixauli said the brothers worked for a major Mexican drug cartel.
"This is not just taking guns to Mexico," Phoenix police Asst. Chief Andy Anderson said. "This is putting guns in the hands of drug dealers and human smugglers ... This is a despicable crime."
The three men in custody face charges including conducting an illegal enterprise, misconduct involving weapons, money laundering, forgery and fraudulent schemes. It wasn't clear whether they had lawyers.
"The bottom line is illegal gun trafficking is not only destroying Mexico, but some of these guns may get back to the United States," Baixauli said. "It puts our law enforcement officers in danger, and in Mexico, it decimates law enforcement."
News from Senator McCain’s state.
How much did he cost? I've been wanting to buy me a gun dealer.
Gun runners ping!
If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me
Me, too. If you locate any gun dealers for sale, would you remember me, please?
If he knew what he was doing when he did it then I hope they throw the book at him.
Iknadosian
“Armenian” name.
Uh-oh - looks like Mexico better build a wall along the border.
With a name like that, I'm wonderin'...Algerian, Ukranian or Russian mob connections?
That caught my eye too. I am wondering if there's Eastern European mob connections here.
BS alert
Paging Henry Bowman
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