Mexican Weapons Cache Uncovered May Be Linked To Fast & Furious – OpEd
By Jim Kouri
Mexican police officers discovered a large weapons cache that may be linked to the U.S. gun-walking snafu, Operation Fast and Furious, an American drug enforcement official working as an “advisor” in northern Mexico said on Friday.
The anonymous source told the Law Enforcement Examiner that the weapons apparently belong to drug traffickers who stored them at a private residence in northern Mexico.
The weapons discovery was a result of a Mexican schoolboy who brought a loaded handgun to class. His classmates observed the gun in the 9-year-old’s schoolbag and reported it to their teacher, who in turn reported it to the Hermosillo city police.
According to the law enforcement source, the semiautomatic firearm was fully loaded. It was immediately confiscated and then a police SWAT team raided the boy’s house where they found a cache of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition, according to the source.
Mexican police commanders told the federal police (Federales) they had found two powerful rifles (AR15s) — one at the dining table and one in a bedroom — and also 13,000 rounds of ammunition, pistols, assault rifles, bulletproof vests and two money-counting machines.
The weapons were allegedly unused and appeared brand new. The packaging indicated the weapons originated in the United States, but so far no one has confirmed or denied the weapons were part of the controversial ATF gun-smuggling scheme that led to the death of Mexican citizens and a U.S. Border Patrol agent, Brian Terry.
A disturbing find was a case of high-caliber cartridges that are capable of penetrating standard-issue police and military body armor and are called “cop-killers.”
The police search team also discovered Mexican military uniforms, police-grade portable radios, and two armor-plated SUVs.
“I hope that the [Federal Bureau of Investigation’s] director William Mueller will conduct a thorough investigation into these weapons without being hampered by his boss, Attorney General [Eric] Holder. This weapons discovery occurred through sheer luck. How many more weapons caches are there in Mexico thanks to the Fast and Furious debacle?” asked former police firearms instructor Leo DeVencia.
In a blistering statement in September 2011, Mexican Attorney General Marisela Morales Ibanez accused President Barack Obama of actually knowing about the Fast and Furious operation and being deceptive over the facts behind the weapons being used to kill hundreds of Mexican citizens.
Ibanez told Mexican reporters that she was demanding a full and honest explanation from the United States government especially since evidence is being gathered that reveals the Obama administration was more involved in Operation Fast and Furious than top officials admitted in their sworn statements.
