And there we were thinking that 8500 U.S. gun dealers near the border were supplying the drug cartels with weapons. Well, that’s what the ATF thought. Or wants Congress to think. But then, the ATF were (are?) the ones helping make that happen. Meanwhile, I found this little tidbit buried in elpasotimes.com‘s report on yesterday’s DEA – ICE drug cartel sweep: “In operations in McAllen in South Texas, a drug-smuggling ring accused of working with Mexico’s Gulf Cartel was dismantled after 11 people — including a U.S. National Guardsman allegedly providing the group with U.S. military equipment — were arrested in connection with the case Wednesday. Authorities recovered hand grenades, assault rifles and bulletproof vests.” The monitor.com has more . . .
Officers seized more than 6 tons of marijuana, about 145 pounds of cocaine, 12 automatic and semi-automatic weapons, thousands of rounds of ammunition, grenades, body armor and camouflage netting during two raids in McAllen on Wednesday, [Police Chief Victor] Rodriguez said . . .
Much of what officials seized was allegedly provided to the group, which claimed to be working with the Gulf Cartel in Reynosa, by Guardsman Jose Francisco Padilla, 30, of San Juan, police said.
“(Padilla) is a source of the flak equipment … .30-caliber weapons and ammunition,” Rodriguez said. “We know he is an active National Guardsman, but I don’t know what his assignment is.”
I know what the media’s assignment is: expose the real sources of the Mexican drug cartels’ weaponry. It’s a trail that leads straight to “official” U.S. suppliers to the Mexican government and international arms dealers. There’s a reason why H&K stopped selling rifles to the Mexicans, and it ain’t because they got tired of counting all the money.