Posted on 05/25/2008 6:26:42 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
(Editor's note: This is Part I of a two-part series on Project Gunrunner, an operation by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives designed to reduce international gunrunning. This part of the series details the extent of the problem.)
Federal agents working along the Texas-Mexico border have noticed drug cartels have a new affinity for a particular type of firearm.
"It's a 5.7 (mm)," said Elias Bazan, the resident agent in charge of the Laredo field office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "In Mexico, they already call it the ‘cop killer.' It's a very powerful little handgun. Here recently, that has been more a weapon of choice."
Chances the "mata policias" or "cop killer," found its way into Mexico through the Southwest border are likely, according to figures the ATF released to Laredo Morning Times.
Texas has been the No. 1 source of firearms recovered in Mexico and submitted to U.S. authorities for tracing the past three fiscal years.
In 2005, 1,014 firearms recovered by Mexican officials came from Texas. In 2006 that number fell to 342, but then skyrocketed to 729 in 2007. California ranked second, with 569, 220 and 217 in 2005, 2006 and 2007, respectively.
The data was compiled as part of the ATF's Project Gunrunner, initiated to help stop the arsenals used by Mexican cartels from heading south.
Though the ATF has investigated arms smuggling since its inception, Bazan said Project Gunrunner began as a national campaign in 2007 with two goals in mind: to create a national depository for all intelligence related to arms trafficking; and to help stop the flow of arms used by Mexican drug cartels in their day-to-day operations. This year alone, authorities believe warring cartels are responsible for more than 300 killings in Mexico, mostly along the Texas-Mexico border.
Unlike drug purchases, which can involve clandestine maneuvering to conceal the merchandise, many of the guns used in Mexico are bought in the open market at gun shows in the United States.
That, Bazan said, is one of the ATF's biggest challenges.
"Unfortunately, when you go to a gun show, there are really not a whole lot of restrictions," he said. "If you're a licensed dealer trying to sell guns at a gun show, you are obligated by law to run criminal history checks on people.
"However … any person who labels his collection of guns as a ‘personal collection' is allowed to sell those guns as a personal collection and, therefore, not obligated to run a personal history check."
Even with background checks, straw buyers ensure gunrunners are able to take their loads south.
"The ATF calls it ‘lying and buying,' " Bazan said. "You could take an illegal alien, a convicted felon, anybody that's prohibited by law to purchase weapons, and all you have to do is pay someone else to basically sign the form and purchase as many weapons as he wants to. That's a big problem for us."
So much, in fact, the ATF has recently launched a campaign, dubbed "Don't Lie for the Other Guy," to educate potential straw buyers about repercussions.
Bazan said the guns purchased in the U.S. have an obvious destination.
"Based on our investigations here in Laredo … we are pretty certain that the firearms are destined to drug-trafficking organizations."
And gun shows aren't hard to find, adding to the formidable task of stopping the weapons flow.
"I think they are year-round," Bazan said. "I think that any given weekend, a person, a gun enthusiast, can probably find a gun show somewhere between Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Corpus Christi or McAllen. There has got to be a gun show just about every weekend."
The weapons bought and sold range from the "cop killer" and other small-caliber weapons, to machine guns, tear-gas launchers and even a few the ATF simply labels as "destructive devices."
Restrictions in Mexico on gun purchases lead many people to travel north to stock their respective arsenals, using the resources supplied by drug deals on the same trip to purchase their weapons.
"You bring the drugs north, you sell them, you use some of the money to buy guns," said ATF spokeswoman Franceska Perot. "It's just like any commercial trucker. He doesn't want to make any trip without a load."
Bazan said a department within a cartel is assigned the task of accomplishing each mission, be it selling drugs or buying guns.
"It is the same organization, but I think that it's more specialized," he said. "One group will hire another to go make some buys and even make it down to another group to transfer them down south, but it's broken down into specialty."
Acknowledging that the drug-trade relationship between Mexico and the United States is indeed symbiotic and that the cartels would not flourish without a demand for drugs in the United States, federal officials also concede that it isn't just Mexican nationals who buy guns to use in Mexico.
Bazan confirmed the ATF had evidence that several gun buyers and runners were U.S. citizens.
"Most definitely," he said. "There are some very close ties (with the cartels), sometimes even relatives."
MONDAY:
Laredo connections and the ATF's battle against international gunrunning.
(Julian Aguilar may be reached at 728-2557 or by e-mail at jaguilar@lmtonline.com)
Gunrunner ping!
If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.
“Unfortunately, when you go to a gun show, there are really not a whole lot of restrictions” That statement is demonstrably FALSE. Selling one or two guns person to person will never equip the Mexican gangsters. That is ALL you are allowed to do at gun shows. If you are in the trade of selling guns, you still must comply with numerous state and federal regulations (like background checks) when you sell a gun. This is just another in a long series of attempts to outlaw private person to person sales of firearms. And SCREW MEXICO. Maybe they NEED a revolution. In all, we still need to build and man the fence. Maybe they can actually control their side of the border. Would ya think? (which is what they do with Mexican military on their own southern border btw)
--the equivalent of an anemic .22 Hornet--wonder if they hold them sideways to shoot or has that gone out of style?
LOL, as if that puny .22 handgun was some kind of miraculous cop killer. Hey narcotraficantes, I have one for you. It's called the "chupame pendejos" in .45 ACP.
Disband the BATFE. Top to bottom. We don’t need no revenuers here. The feds had a bunch of left over agents when prohibition ended and decided to keep them occupied destroying our 2nd Amendment rights. Get rid of them. Border Patrol is hiring, or should be.
My understanding is the projectile from this round will pierce bullet resistant vests.
At least NAFTA is working to our advantage in one area!
“It’s a 5.7 (mm),” said Elias Bazan, the resident agent in charge of the Laredo field office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “In Mexico, they already call it the ‘cop killer.’ It’s a very powerful little handgun. Here recently, that has been more a weapon of choice.”
I’m guessing he’s talking about the FN Five-Seven? I’m not an expert on firearms, but to my knowledge that’s the only pistol that uses that caliber.
As will almost any rifle bullet.
Ihe 5.7 is a joke.Give me my .357 Mag.loaded with 146 gr.HP’s.That’s a dangerous weapon in close.
Hey stop complaining, at least we’re number 1 in something. Maybe if the police would put those Five-sevens to some good use at the border, we wouldn’t need a fence...a dead illegal alien wannabe will never be an illegal alien.
When they were hot to trot about the S&W 500 it forced me to go out and buy several in a variety of barrel sizes. I'm happier for it :)
Went to a gun show last weekend in Orlando. First time I saw the ATF there with a table. No, there was nobody there talking to them.
The whole 5.7 pistol idea has been blown way out of perspective. It's a little bullet at high speed, with little recoil, and the pistol can hold 20 of them. As far as the "cop killer" legend goes, that was defeated early on in the pistol's history, so it is little more than a trendy plastic pistol with an anemic .22 round today.
Thanks for the info.
No need to get exotic. A plain old inexpensive surplus Tokarev or CZ52 in 7.62X25 will go through kevlar like it's not there.
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