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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Proceso: Justice and Homeland Security Knew About "Fast and Furious" |
| 2011-03-28 |
| Translated and rewritten Representatives inside the US Department of Justice (DoJ) and Homeland Security knew about the renegade weapons sting operation that permitted weapons to be transferred illegally to Mexico to criminal gangs, according to a report released by APRO, the news service run by the Mexican leftist weekly Proceso. John Dodson of the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agency told Proceso writer J. Jesus Esquivel that he did not know if Eric Holder, the current Attorney General ofvthe United States, or Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security personally knew about the operation, but he did say representatives of the DoJ and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, were at the ATF office in Phoenix, where the sting was launched in December, 2009. When asked about if the Mexican national government was aware of the weapons transferred he was quoted as saying: "I do not know if the Mexican government was informed. What I know is that several ATF agents knew about the operation. I think that only a Mexican representative attorney general of the republic (PGR) of the assigned to the Phoenix (area office) knew of the operation, but what details I do not know." In news reports posted on its site last Friday, CBS News reported that Darren Gil, an ATF representative posted to the US Embassy in Mexico City, submitted his resignation last December after he learned of Fast and Furious. Gil said that Kenneth Melson, ATF head told him the operation had been openly approved through the Department of Homeland Security. Gil also said that Lanny Breuer, Undersecretary of the Department of Justice, was briefed by ATF staff in Mexico City on the sting operation when he visited Mexico last summer. Gil was replaced with William Newell, director of the Phoenix ATF office during the start of Fast and Furious. A late Sunday report by the Mexican daily Milenio reprorted that Gil was under orders from Washington not to tell Mexico City about all the weapons which were allowed to go to Mexico. Dodson, the subject of the interview, admitted he did not know who originated the plan; only that 60 days after he came to the Phoenix ATF office in December 2009, the operation was started. Dodson also said in the interview that the quantity of weapons allowed to go into the hands of drug criminals was much higher than is commonly admitted, as high as 2,500, instead of 1,765. The US government response since enquiries were made to DoJ and the Homeland Security has been Holder's announcement that Acting Inspector General Department of Justice, Cynthia A. Schneder would be investigating the case. At the moment no one in the US government is willing to go on the record about the operation. When asked by Esquivel about the operational details Dodson said ATF had identified individuals who were known buyers of multiple weapons as straw purchasers, who are individuals who purchase weapons to bypass background checks of end users. ATF agents would then track the buyer through surveillance with the idea of stopping weapons traffickers and recipients, including Mexican drug gangsters. "We watched these guys when they bought the weapons, acquired 5, 10 or 20 in one visit to a gun store. Coming out to meet with other people gathered in public parks or private garages. Then transferring weapons from one vehicle to another and then to the recipients," said Dodson "What happened to the weapons once they were transferred to other cars?" asked Esquivel. "We had been forbidden to detain individuals, we could not confiscate weapons or identify the people involved. Our sole mission was to observe. That's how I lost track of weapons that went to Mexico," replied Dodson. Dodson said that the total number of known purchasers of weapons the ATF knew about was 20, all US residents or citizens. Dodson also said the gun store that sold the weapons were aware of the ATF sting but had no idea the purpose was not to detain but to observe. The gun stores owners "thought they were doing the right thing. They had no idea that we (ATF agents) were not intercepting weapons," said Dodson. Esquivel asked: How many people were killed by weapons in this operation? "I do not know," replied Dodson. "Even if the weapons were to be recovered, they could have been used 10 or 15 times. So I think no one can know many of these weapons sold under the authorization of the ATF were used to kill." "The damage that has caused this operation is inconceivable," said Dodson. "The operation should never have been done. From my point of view there is no way to justify what we did," Dodson said. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #4 Uh, uh, MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ? Gut nuthin. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-03-28 20:12 |
| #3 Well, it looks like Operation Reichstag Fire didn't work out as planned. It's back to the |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2011-03-28 11:19 |
| #2 Operation "Fast and Furious"......what a delightful venue for the Anti-2nd Amendment effort. The scripted MSM photographic exploitation of tables full of automatic weapons allegedly captured by DoJ sleuths on their way to Mexican cartels. A double whammy! Success stories for the DoJ, Homeland Security, and FBI, and kuddo's from the leftest, hell bent anti-gun D.C. crowd. What's not to like? ( Publish the Serial Numbers please, make, model, manufacturers, shipping invoices, addresses, signatures....the usual investigatory procedures please...... oh, they've all gove missing have they? ) |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2011-03-28 01:18 |
| #1 And once again a loud, clear HOMER-IAN "DOHHH!" is heard throughout the land. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-03-28 00:49 |