"There's the understatement of the day."
EE-YUP! and Jordan's statement merits a
Posted on 02/06/2005 6:28:56 AM PST by SandRat
Search of Nogales home yields anti-tank explosive, grenades
NOGALES, Sonora - U.S. and Mexican officials are investigating a heavy weapons cache discovered in this border town that police believe was headed south to arm drug cartels.
In a late Wednesday search of a Nogales home, police found an anti-tank warhead, six hand grenades and more than 1,200 rounds of ammunition, Nogales Police Chief Ramses Arce Fierro said Friday. Officers also found an empty missile tube for a larger sized shoulder-fired weapon, he said.
A task force of FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents were working with Mexican federal investigators to determine if the weapons were live ammunition, ATF Special Agent Tom Mangan said.
The grenades were pre-Vietnam War pineapple grenades, although they still could be effective, he said. One missile tube held an anti-tank shoulder-fired missile head inside, and another was missing its missile head, Arce Fierro said.
The 10-year-old steel boxes in which more than 1,200 7.62-mm rounds were stored were stamped "Fort Huachuca," but there have not been any bullets or weapons reported stolen from the post, spokeswoman Tanja Linton said. She speculated someone could have purchased the ammunition boxes at a surplus store or gun show.
Arce Fierro said his investigators are certain the weapons were headed to southern Sonora or Sinaloa, where several other recent incidents involving heavy weaponry have occurred.
"It was going to be used to arm drug cartels, for sure," he said. "Who else is interested in buying a rocket launcher?"
Mexican law forbids people from even carrying pistols without special permission from the military, and Southern Arizona - notorious for illegal entrants and drugs moving north - also is home to weapons heading south.
The weapons seizure came as the result of an anonymous tip to Nogales police. It follows several violent attacks in Sonora believed to involve drug gangs such as the Juárez Cartel.
Last week, suspected drug traffickers pinned down Mexican police in Ciudad Obregon with AK-47s, then used a grenade launcher to drive away police when they reached the Sinaloa border. In another incident, a suspect fired on Mexican Federal Investigations Agents on the Alamos-Navojoa highway. The gunman was shot in the back and arrested.
Also, U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Douglas area reported coming under fire three times the past week.
Nobody was apprehended when police went to the home in Colonia Benito Juarez with a warrant. Arce Fierro declined to identify the residents, saying they were under investigation by federal agents. The traffickers of the weapons cache likely were not working for a drug gang, but rather selling to the highest bidder once they reached their destination, he said.
He doubted the weapons would have been used against his own officers because Nogales is a popular corridor for weapons heading into Mexico and officers have never confronted a hand grenade or a "bazooka" there before.
The large caliber of the seized ammunition is rarely used by cartels, said Phil Jordan, former director of the El Paso Intelligence Center, the federal nerve center to tracking of cross-border drugs and people movement.
"However, putting it into perspective, based on the pressure put on them right now, it does not surprise me this type of weaponry is being used by cartels and that presents a significant problem," Jordan said. "To have this type of arsenal in the hands of drug cartels is not good for law enforcement."
Since January, when President Vicente Fox declared the "mother of all battles" against the drug gangs, the country has used its most powerful asset, its military, to take on drug traffickers in Tamaulipas and in Mexico City, where their presence was most felt.
But even before that, ATF agents seized many types of weapons headed south, Mangan said.
Last July, undercover agents arrested Sergio Noriega, a Mexican national who tried to buy 30 fragmentation grenades in Chandler. He told the agents he was buying them for a southern Sonora cartel, Mangan said. He remains in custody, awaiting trial.
Last October, three men were arrested with AK-47s, one in Douglas, where he tried to smuggle AK-47 parts back to Mexico. Joel Ruiz Castillo faces illegal weapons exporting charges and is in custody.
The next day, ATF raided a home in the 5700 block of E. 24th Street in Tucson and arrested a second suspect, Richard Rod-riguez, and seized 20 AK-47s. Rodriguez remains in custody. A third suspect, Edward Porras, is accused of buying the AK-47s for Rodriguez and Ruiz Castillo. Porras is out on bail, Mangan said. Those AK-47s were heading to Mexico as well, he said.
Last week, a gun smuggler from Douglas was convicted of trying to export more than 100 guns to Mexico without a license. A federal jury in Phoenix found Luis Demetrio Drabos, 25, guilty, and he faces up to five years in prison. Drabos and four others were planning to export more than 100 guns to Mexico without a license, according to evidence presented at his trial.
The group spent more than $50,000 to purchase the weapons - including AK-47s and .50-caliber handguns - from licensed dealers in Arizona. The gun-smuggling ring fell apart when three conspirators tried to pay an undercover ATF agent to sell them an unregistered machine gun equipped with a silencer.
Sheesh, he's an IDIOT!
Border Weapons Cache Found.
Hey, they're only here to pick the vegetables and traffic the weapons Americans are'nt willing to./very mild sarc. off
(raises hand meekly)
"Jordan said. "To have this type of arsenal in the hands of drug cartels is not good for law enforcement."
There's the understatement of the day.
Join the Marines.
"There's the understatement of the day."
EE-YUP! and Jordan's statement merits a
So says the failed leader with no credibility...
The Overlooked Catastrophe Coming From the South: Interview with Scott Gulbransen
Author of “The Silent Invasion”
Excerpt:
WRM: What do you believe are the geopolitical and national security-related ramifications on this activity?
SG: The geopolitical and national security ramifications are enormous. We're talking about our worst enemies surrounding us and testing our defenses on a daily basis. If the Cuban Missile Crisis almost resulted in nuclear holocaust, what would happen if the lid was blow of this thing? I shudder to think of what will happen when I am proved right and our nation gets off its collective ass and does something about it.
[snip]
WRM: Are these foreign units possible helping the Marxist, anti-American rebel movements in Mexico (particularly in the south) such as the Zapatistas, or are being used to assist officials seen as "favorable" by governments seeking to undermine American power? SG: Absolutely. These Marxist elements are on the rise in Mexico AND America. The recent peace protests over the Iraq War was a clear sign that Communism is back strong in the Western Hemisphere and they are making inroads. We are being undermined internally daily and Mexico and its revolutionaries are aiding and abetting.
hahahahahahahahaha!
BTTT
Explain something to me. You seem to agree that there are big problems with Mexico and it's criminal environment, but if anyone criticizes our present administration over their refusal to stomp on Mexico, you become irritated. Do you believe this administration is doing all it should to make Mexico more "reasonable" on the WOT or do you agree with it's coddling of Fox and Mexico? Remember Mexico told us to shove it when we asked for their support in Iraq.
They said they don't trust me with weapons.
If people want to start a Bash Bush thread on illegals fine.. I'm in it too. My way of dealing with politico's that are sympathetic to illegals and do not see them as criminals, is to withold donations. I NO LONGER donate to the GOP or anyone planning to run for office until the issue of illegals is addressed to the benefit of American citizens. I write, I call, I and slammed my wallet. There's one thing politicians understand first and that is MONEY. We get at least 2 or 3 calls a week from various GOP orgs for money, and I tell them the same thing. There will be ZERO donations from this house until the illegal immigration issue is resolved for my benefit. I feel my husband are already out about 8K a year minimum because of them, and MY rights are being ignored as a citizen.. But on this, many of us will agree, and many will disagree with my position, which is fine with me.
I can go on and on about how people are treated by the Arnold haters around here. Let's not discuss the topic at hand and find ways to make inroads in this state, no, lets just bitch about Arnold... reallllll productive. And the the poster took a lot of sh*t because she just wanted to meetup a fellow concerned Freepers. I believe in treating others the way you want to be treated. And if you want to convince someone to agree with your point of view, it's far better to educate than to agitate.
Hope that helps explain my opinion on this.
Nothing new here to those of us who live on the Forward Edge of the Battle Area (FEBA).
No doubt SandRat... But I wonder how many are really familiar with the internal politics in Mexico, the growing Muslim population, the commie push, their lobbies, their puppets in our legislatures, their goals for more power in our domestic and foreign policy.... on and on. The issue is much larger than cheap labor and fruit pickers... I have friends in AZ, NM, TX and NC, and like you, they are very much aware of those things. :)
We here on the FEBA have been doing all we can. Heck, we got Prop 200 passed, Arizonians that put together the ABP with home-made UAVs embarassed the USBP into getting their own UAVs, that's a start. We have to keep pushing though every wasy we can. The next step that the USBP and the "Migrant Rights" crowd doesn't like is that for the next 30 days they both are going to be under intense scrutiney and fully recorded with audio/video/sworn statements/station logs by the Minute Men. Trust me on this the USBP and the "Migrant Rights" are both gonna get a black eye out of it.
You're right though, if we don't solve this we're looking at the film "RED Dawn" becoming real.
If you don't mind me saying so.... God Bless ya for all your hard work down there.. Hero's all of you... fighting your corrupt politico's. I really hope that more states are inspired to do the same, and take a stand in spite of the obstacles.. I do feel that this is the issue that will split the republican party, but that's a conversation for another day... God speed my friend.
BTW, I keep forgetting about Red Dawn.. I think you told me about that a looooong time ago.. I've got to rent that. Thanks for the reminder. :) ~~
bump
Also in today's OC Register Fox's travel official accused of leaking data. He is being held on suspicion of providing the Mexican leader's tour schedule to druglords.
Isn't beady eyes Vicente due to visit Jorge in March or so?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.