AZMEX F&F EXTRA 26 AUG 2013
Note: A update from down south. Some of the numbers a bit suspect. Couple years back there was a map of where some of the F&F firearms has been recovered. Many of them far outside the Sinaloa AOR. Also talk is that the number of dead Hispanics directly attributed to F&F far exceeds 200, more close to 1,000. No, no govt. or media on that, so far.
Fast and Furious: three more weapons in Sinaloa
Posted on August 25, 2013 by Miguel Angel Vega
Three high-powered rifles that were part of Fast and Furious operation, appeared in the city of Culiacan in late July and early August this year, as recorded in a series of documents sent by the Justice Department of the United States to the PGR delegation Sinaloa, requesting the return of the weapons.
"The goal is to recover all our weapons that were part of the operation Fast and Furious, we know that eventually appear in different parts of Mexico, either because they were seized in operations, or because they were recovered during a confrontation," said Donna Sellers, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Snuff (ATF), the agency that led the operation.
However, the spokesperson could not specify the places where weapons were recovered nor the actions that led to its forfeiture, saying only that it was a process that was being investigated, and it worked in coordination with the government of Mexico to ensure that the weapons were returned to that country.
According to three documents sent by the Department of Justice to the PGR, guns recovered are three brand Romarm Rifles, Caliber 762, two of which were batch purchased at the Lone Wolf Trading Company, Glendale Arizona, by Uriel Patino, one major arms buyers in Phoenix and who apparently worked for Joaquin Chapo Guzman.
In an investigation by the office of Sen. Charles Grassley, Patiño was identified as the buyer of at least 700 of the nearly 2000 high-impact weapons that the ATF let go to Mexico.
The documents highlight different dates, two of which are dated August 2 and the other on August 6, and as detailed the request, two of the weapons have been recovered on 21 July this year, while another does not specify the date of forfeiture.
A quick review of events recorded in Culiacan between 15 and July 30 show no clashes between criminal groups and the authorities, and neither the PGR in Culican, or the PGR in Mexico (DF) or could specify the places where weapons were found.
"Right now we're not revealing that information," said Alberto Islas, a spokesman for the PGR in Mexico.
These rifles, which are of great precision and power, according to several websites, would be the first Fast and Furious guns recovered in Sinaloa, since the army found an AK-47 at the death site of an ex-beauty queen and a farmer, in Mocorito, however, which appear gradually of the failed BATFE operation, in Sinaloa further strengthens a theory shared by many experts who claim that Fast and Furious weapons were aimed at groups of The Cartel Sinaloa.
The ATF would not comment on the matter and were currently only focused on recovering the weapons.
Weapons on the rise
In 2012, companies reported weapons sellers have sold more than 344,000 weapons across the United States. However, 192,342 were reported as lost or stolen, as revealed by the ATF. (note: numbers a bit suspect)
Where are or who has them, is a mystery to the ATF, but some experts suggest that it is likely that many of these weapons have reached the hands of organized crime in Mexico.
Adam Winkler, a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, noted that the possibility of violence in Mexican communities, and how was the trend, selling of weapons has not decrease, it has increase.
"It is unfortunate that the U.S. government continues to do nothing, and unfortunately all this will result in more tragedies for U.S. citizens, and violence in countries like Mexico," said Winkler Ríodoce.
According to data from the U.S. Senate, even though the number of Mexicans have been killed with Fast and Furious weapons were accurately known, it is believed that they could exceed 200.
In the case of weapons that have been reported as stolen or lost, there are high-impact weapons like AK-47, AR-14 and Barret .50.
Easy access
According to official data from the DOJ (US), in have Sinaloa so far have officially recovered eleven weapons that were part of the operation Fast and Furious, which was that ATF agents deliberately let U.S. weapons into Mexico.
In Culiacan, get a gun is relatively easy, and has to do with money, or at least so says Jorge, who lives in Colonia Loma de Rodriguera.
"You connect with the right people and you get what you want, from a .22 to a AK" said Jorge, who has bought weapons on several occasions "for protection.
The price indicates, vary depending on the type of weapon and the history it has. For example, he says, a AK usually can cost you 35 thousand pesos, (2,600 USD ) but a .45 ( pistol ) can cost between 3,000 to 15,000 pesos. ( 230 to 1,130 USD )
"If the gun has killed several and is hot, then the price drops, but if the gun is clean, the price goes up," he said.
The arms sales and surge in Culiacan from late 2008 until early 2011, dates that coincided with the implementation of the Fast and Furious operation and in turn, in an escalation of violence in the country's northwest.
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