Investigations Into BATFE Accelerate (A Crude Chronology Since late March 2011)

[Ed Jewett]

The EyeOpener- Morbid Addiction: CIA & the Drug Trade


Just as the British Empire was in part financed by their control of the opium trade through the British East India Company, so too has the CIA been found time after time to be at the heart of the modern international drug trade. From its very inception, the CIA has been embroiled in the murky underworld of drug trafficking.


There are billions of dollars per year to be made in keeping the drug trade going, and it has long been established that Wall Street and the major American banks rely on drug money as a ready source of liquid capital. With those kinds of funds at stake, it is unsurprising to see a media-government-banking nexus develop around the status quo of a never-ending war on drugs aided, abetted and facilitated by the modern-day British East India Company, the CIA.


This is our EyeOpener Report by James Corbett presenting the history, documented facts, and cases on the CIA's involvement and operations in the underworld of drug trafficking, from the Corsican Mafia in the 1940s through the 1980s Contras to the recent Zambada Niebla Case today.


Embedded video is 19:17


http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2011/10/...rug-trade/


*****




Obama Spoke About "Fast & Furious" Before Holder Claimed He Knew
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2..._knew.html




***


PHOTOGRAPH OF COCAINE SMUGGLER JORGE CABRERA WITH HILLARY CLINTON IN FRONT OF THE WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS TREE.


http://whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POL...g_hill.jpg


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Grenade-walking


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/1...0395.shtml




****


Hilary was in on Fast & Furious


see the embedded video at about 4:00


http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1...664011/pg1




Breaking: new evidence shows Hillary a mastermind behind Gunwalker - National Conservative | Examiner.com


http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-...-gunwalker

[Ed Jewett]

Sharyl Attkisson talked about the investigation of the Justice Department's Fast and Furious gun operation program, and she responded to telephone calls and electronic communications.. The intended purpose of the program was to .. Read More
28 minutes
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/302050-6

[Ed Jewett]

Here is a collection of background information about Robert "Tosh" Plumlee and the historical Iran-Contra cocaine trafficking mess which both "informs" the "Fast & Furious" business and details governmental and political involvement that is still present. Much of this has previously appeared here at DPF.



http://toshplumlee.info/pdf/sengaryhart.PDF

**

"The following FBI/DEA/CIA files were released between the years 1981 and 1999. These United States government files are placed here for review by professional researchers, law enforcement officials and by the general public. A responsible review of these documents should provide the reader with a clear picture of the covert background of Tosh Plumlee.

A careful review of these documents will reveal that the United States Department of Justice has been guilty of obstruction of justice since 1963 and before."

[/url] http://toshplumlee.info/
[url=http://toshplumlee.info]**

"I Ran Drugs for Uncle Sam" by Neal Matthews, San Diego Reader
http://nealmatthews.com/Documents/Tosh.pdf (requires printing 11 pages)


**

I Ran Drugs for Uncle Sam--William "Tosh" Plumlee parts 1-5
(five hours worth of radio interviews on YouTube)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO5BmtD0Zfs


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd06eoMBU...re=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyrLeuY3zfg


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5hmbKKwv...sponse_rev


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ78hkku-44

***



http://www.ocweekly.com/2006-09-14/news/...e-airways/


http://www.ocweekly.com/2006-10-05/news/men-in-suits/


http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/20...ged_pe.php


https://deeppoliticsforum.com/forums/sho...e-Pentagon




See Page 462 of Rodney Stich's book "Defrauding America" (online here at Google)
http://books.google.com/books?id=YF7NIA8...ee&f=false




See Leslie Cockburn's book Out of Control: The Story of the Reagan Administration's Secret War in Nicaragua, the Illegal Arms Pipeline, and the Contra Drug Connection


http://www.whale.to/b/cockburnbook.jpg


As a New York-based producer for the network in the 1980s she covered, among other topics, the U.S.-directed Contra War against Nicaragua. Her 1984 report, "The Dirty War," for which she traveled through regions of Nicaragua that were officially off-limits as being too dangerous for journalists to visit, revealed the Contras' horrifying record of routine atrocities against the civilian population.[3] In subsequent reports she laid out the degree to which Contras were heavily involved in the narcotics business as well as the first full account of the role of White House aide Colonel Oliver North in directing the whole Contra war.[4]
Following the overthrow of the Duvalier regime in Haiti in 1986, Cockburn's report "Haiti's Nightmare" (1987)[5] on the brutality of a Haitian military unit being armed and trained by the U.S. led to an outcry in Congress and the suspension of all U.S. military aid to Haiti.[6] ... In 1987 Cockburn began producing and reporting documentaries for PBS Frontline in collaboration with her husband Andrew Cockburn. In Guns, Drugs, and the CIA,[8] (1987) she interviewed, on camera, Tony Po, aka Anthony Posephne, a legendary covert operations officer who had supervised the CIA's secret war in Northern Laos during the 1960s and early 1970s. In the interview, Po stated that the CIA had supplied air transport for the heroin shipments of their local ally, General Vang Pao, the only such on-the-record confirmation by a former CIA officer concerning agency involvement in the narcotics trade.[9]
In 1990 Cockburn produced and directed "From the Killing Fields" for the ABC News documentary show Peter Jennings Reports. The film alleged that the U.S. had long been covertly supporting the Khmer Rouge, the genocidal movement responsible for the deaths of millions in Cambodia in the 1970s who had been displaced by a Vietnamese-back regime in 1979. U.S. assistance to the murderous group, Cockburn alleged, had been ongoing throughout the 1980s.[10] The Bush Administration subsequently terminated covert aid to anti-Vietnamese forces, a move that led to the eventual UN-supervised peace settlement in Cambodia.[11]
During the Gulf War in 1991, Cockburn reported from Israel on the Iraqi Scud attacks against Tel Aviv. Her film, shot from a high-rise building close to the impact zone, provided irrefutable evidence that contrary to official reports, the U.S.-supplied Patriot missiles were not only entirely failing to intercept the Scuds but were instead impacting on the city itself.[12] ...


In 2000, she produced "America's Worst Nightmare,"[17] a 60 Minutes report on political instability in nuclear-armed Pakistan and the growing power in the country of fundamentalist groups linked to the Taliban, a piece that was recognized as "strikingly prophetic" in receiving the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award in 2001.[18][19] In 2002 she did a report on the true effects of U. S. anti-narcotics aerial spraying on the civilian population of Colombia.[20] ...


In 2009, Leslie Cockburn directed and co-produced (with husband Andrew Cockburn) her first feature documentary for theatrical release. American Casino relates the story of the origins, progress and consequences of the subprime mortgage disaster that led to the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Beginning filming in January 2008, Cockburn laid bare both the financial machinations and miscalculations on Wall Street that produced the disaster as well as its effects on an array of Baltimore homeowners struggling to stay afloat. The film premiered at New York's Tribeca Film Festival in April 2009.
Variety described it as a " searing expose of the subprime mortgage crisis (matching) Wall Street's numbers and graphics to the flesh-and-blood individuals whose lives have been devastated by the deliberate machinations of bankers and traders." [21]
Slant magazine called it a "revelatory howl against the still-gestating, $8 trillion-and-counting financial-services industry bailout."[22]
Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz said "American Casino is a powerful and shocking look at the subprime lending scandal. If you want to understand how the US financial system failed and how mortgage companies ripped off the poor, see this film."[23]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Cockburn

[Ed Jewett]

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The Drug War as an International Manifestation: Effects

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[TD]At the moment in México, a protest movement has started called the No Mas Sangre (No More Blood) movement. This movement is attempting to show that people do not support nor wish to continue the war on los narcos, which was started in the 2006 after the election of Felipe Calderón (Partido Accionista Nacional). Calderón began this drug war with the support of the United States through the Merida Initiative and also the verbal backing of President George W. Bush. The point of this war was to eradicate the drug cartels in México, that came into power during the 70 year rule of the Partido Revolucinario Institucional, and also through the loss of strength of the Colombian cartels. However, this drug war has not stopped the drug trade, nor has it made México any more secure for its citizens. Actually, this war has increased the insecurity of Mexican citizens, after more than 31,000 deaths (read homicides; now much nearer to 40,000) over the past 4 years in relation to this erroneous intervention by Calderón and American foreign support. It has reduced tourism, which then has adversely effected the Mexican economy, based on large amounts of tourism to locations such as Cancún, Acapulco, and student tourism to cities such as Cuernavaca and Ciudad de México. This is directly related to the loss of legitimacy to the security of Mexican citizens and foreigners from the drug war that was began by Felipe Calderón. An increase in feminicide, the horrendous murders of innocent children by cartels (most recently in Cuernavaca), and in some states and cities in México the loss of living a normal life without the fear of death hanging from the people's shoulders. Nothing points to any form of benefit that was derived from this war, actually all facts point towards the opposite. Even when leading figures in the drug cartels are captured, it is not as if there does not exist many more who were already attempting to earn those positions within those criminal organizations. This drug war is across multiple countries but the focus of this paper will be on the cross-section of the US and México within the frame of the causes and effects of the drug war.It is proper to primarily discuss how the American government and its policies adversely effect the nation-state of México and its citizens, being that this article is addressed to an English speaking audience. Let's begin with a simple example of how US government policy has negative effects outside of its boundaries, the example of "gun-walking". The Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) had implemented a program where they were selling guns to people known to smuggle them across the US-Mexican Border (guns laws being stricter in México), and then selling them to los narcos. Their reason was that they were attempting to follow the guns and find out who was purchasing them, but they would lose the trace after it crossed the border. This means that US taxpayers were aiding and abetting criminal organizations in another country by supplying them with weapons. However, this does not mean that all guns are coming from the US, but only to show that US foreign policy is ridiculous in the context of the Mexican drug war. This foolish program has definitively harmed the status of US policy in the eyes of many Mexicans, which would not be the first time. Actually, it is a constantly occurring event, from the construction of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which forcefully removed many rural Mexicans to urban areas through an economic policy that disallowed Mexican farmers to compete against large scale American Agribusiness. Or the constant stream of military hardware and training from America to México that enabled the creation of cartels such as Los Zetas, and a military-industrial complex within México. American foreign policy towards México has proved detrimental time and again, and needs to be reformulated, along with a reformulation of American domestic policy.
The "War on Drugs" domestically has meant the criminalizing of the youth and minorities within the US, and led to a huge boom in the incarcerated population of this country. Even though the US is the largest drug market in the world, the statistics do not show for any drug anything above a fourth of the youth population (Marijuana and Alcohol being the ones near a fourth). Alcohol is the highest percentage, not surprising considering that it is legal after 21, therefore legitimating it within American society. Instead of instituting decriminalization policies (also known as harm-reduction policies) and treatment/prevention programs similar to other European Union countries, it continues wasting billions of dollars on a failing drug war. This drug war has also increased the militarization of the US-México border, along with a possible future violence spill over, which is bound to happen with two highly linked nation-states. This militarization has not stopped drugs from entering the United States or being used, and this was meant to be the goal. And as always with any form of black market, it can lead to corruption of political institutions, not only in México, but as well in the Department of Homeland Security here in the United States. This corruption does not end within government institutions, but impacts uponbusiness ethical practices when large financial institutions launder cartel funds. The drug war then is a large scale problem affecting the social, political, and economical in ways that need to be remedied otherwise it is disastrous for both the United States of America and the United States of México.
Internal to México are also many problems that need to be addressed. The links or imposition of power between México's political elite and the political elite of other countries has been a constant reason for domestic policies that do not bode well for the citizens of México. Take for instance Canada, where a multitude of mining companies are constantly bidding on land in México. These companies come in destroy land, create unsafe working environments for workers with low pay, and pay basically nothing in taxes or for the land, benefiting the political elite. However, once again this problem along with the massive emigration from rural farms to urban factories has been the result of NAFTA. NAFTA was like having a 200 lb. man fighting a vertically challenged person and expecting a better outcome than the midget being badly bruised and unable to cope with the damage for quite some time. Juarez was a result of this fight, and then the continuation of this process as those urban factory jobs were then shipped to China. Afterwards, what was left was the demoralized, unemployed, and hungry to fight a war for the cartels wanting access across the border. Those people are now fighting a drug war that is hurting Mexican business through loss of investment, loss of trade, and loss of tourism. So, México is itself creating issues through an elite that could careless about sound domestic economic policy which reduces poverty, increases opportunity, and operates without corruption.
The Mexican drug trade is everyone's problem, it is not a national conflict, but the first real international transnational conflict without standing armies. These are not some dudes in a cave plotting to launch a plane. These are dudes building armored trucks, submarines, and have military grade weaponry. It is linked to the US through the high levels of drug usage, the fact that it has inputted itself through policy and other actions into the fight, and through its horrendous trade deals. México on its side, as has been pointed out by Javier Sicilia, needs to rebuild its institutions so they do not permit impunity and corruption. Without correct remedies business will go down, poverty will increase, along with insecurity. Welcome to a War against your citizens.
By. Andrew Smolski
Andrew Smolski is a contributor at Oilprice.com and specializes in Political/Economic Sociology. His work has been syndicated in many leading online publications and he can be reached at[EMAIL="da.smolski@gmail.com"]da.smolski@gmail.com

http://therearenosunglasses.wordpress.co...n-effects/[/EMAIL]
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[Ed Jewett]

A Journalist's Guide to 'Project Gunwalker'-Part Six


A compendium of links since early September...


http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-na...r-part-six

[Ed Jewett]

Mexican Zetas Receiving Advanced Training from Former Colombian Special Forces

1710

2011The sign of the Zetas' is coached by former Colombian military

By: WRITING JUSTICE


The shootings became commonplace The last attack of Los Zetas' was in August at a nightclub
Photo: AFP



Four former members of Army Special Forces working with the Mexican cartel.

Since different banks and cross-purposes, the drug war in Mexico has many Colombians starring experts in combat and intelligence.
While dozens of Colombian police train their peers to face Aztec's powerful drug barons, several former military officers are advising one of the most powerful and bloodthirsty of the country: The Zetas' . These are former Mexican military to provide security went from bosses to form their own cartel.
International intelligence agencies and authorities in Colombia followed the trail of a group of former members of Army Special Forces who literally rode a criminal training agency by friends' of the past.
Classified information known by the time and supported by several studies indicates that two retired-captains also paid military jail sentence of Ptolemais (Four balls') for human-rights cases would be related to several of the killings and terrorist attacks executed by the Zetas' in the North American country.
Her right hands are two retired NCOs, also Special Forces, which record frequent trips between Mexico, the United States and several cities in Colombia . One of them regularly visit a renowned art gallery in northern Bogota.
The identities of those soldiers are being withheld because there is still no formal proceedings against him. But the authorities to follow their trail, the DEA and police in Mexico and Colombia-are clear that the contacts with their Mexican counterparts began a course of rangers called for officers of various Latin American countries in the 90. Years later, ended up convicted Colombian and Mexican justice, recruited by the Zetas.
In 2005, after paying his sentence in Colombia, former Special Forces members came to the United States and in contact with the Mexicans.According to the sources of this newspaper, since 2006 those are at the forefront of training in command and intelligence operations of the bloody poster.
In 2007, the newspaper El Universal, Mexico, spoke of the presence of several Colombian military had criminal trouble and ended up selling their expertise in weapons mafia lords abroad.
In 2008 the business was already known
In September 2008, TIME interviewed one of Los Zetas' in Tijuana and this ensured that the best they had was "several military training Special Forces of Colombia." Recruiters also said gunmen.
Presence in other countries
Mercenaries in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya
The training and experience of the Colombian military that has been listed on the international market of the war.
Many experts in counter-men with spears courses, parachute command and have ended up working as mercenaries in Asia and Africa.
All, seeking better pay, have traveled to fight foreign wars through international security agencies.

[Ed Jewett]

"Rep. Darrell Issa and Sen. Chuck Grassley have sent a letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller seeking information in their Fast and Furious investigation."

Full text of the 23-page letter here:

http://www.foxnews.com/interactive/polit...er-to-fbi/

[Ed Jewett]

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Clinton: DOJ didn't give State a heads up' about Fast and Furious

By Joshua Altman - 10/27/11 12:37 PM ET
[FONT=Georgia !important]Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told lawmakers Thursday that she had not been notified by the Justice Department about a botched, international gun-tracking program has been linked to the death of a Border Patrol agent.
Appearing before the House Foreign Affairs committee, Clinton was questioned by Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) about the State Department's involvement in the controversial Fast and Furious operation that has triggered hearings on Capitol Hill.
Mack asked Clinton if State had issued "the Justice Department a license or a written waiver in order to allow for the transfer of thousands of weapons across the U.S.-Mexico border?"
The secretary testified that State had "no record of any request for coordination. We have no record of any kind of notice or heads up."
"My recollection is that I heard about it from the press," Clinton added.
Claiming that it was the first time she had been asked that question, Clinton said that she had seen "no evidence" that such a waiver was granted and promised to investigate the matter further.
The Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives operation oversaw the sale of thousands of guns to known and suspected straw buyers for Mexican drug cartels. Two of the firearms were later found at the murder scene of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.
Lawmakers also questioned whether the shooting death of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Jaime Zapata in Texas is linked to the program.
House Republicans have intensified their inquiry into the operation.
On Wednesday, Republicans blasted Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano during a hearing before the Judiciary Committee when she testified that she had not met with Attorney General Eric Holder about the Fast and Furious operation.
"For you to have two dead agents and to have never had a conversation with Eric Holder about Fast and Furious and about this is totally unacceptable," said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah).


[There is embedded video.]



http://thehill.com/video/house/190225-cl...d-furious-

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[Ed Jewett]

MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2011

Kimberly Dvorak , Homeland Security Examiner: "Operation Armas Cruzadas- DHS Napolitano's own Mexican gun-trafficking program."

Link.

While Operation Fast and Furious remains a thorn in U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's side, it looks like Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano may soon begin sharing the pain.

Sec. Napolitano recently informed the House Judiciary Committee she had no knowledge of Fast and Furious, but omitted to mention her own department was running Operation Armas Cruzadas.

Operation Armas Cruzadas highlights another crucial factor that the Mexican government had more of a role in the cartel arms trafficking business than just playing the victim.

This new information dovetails with complaints by Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agents in the Phoenix office that complained Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from Team VII regularly called "dibs" on gun trafficking cases in order to "get credit" for splashy narco-related investigations. One agent explained that the atmosphere seemed more focused on press conferences and ego rather than commonsense.

The DHS memorandum reveals that ICE ran Operation Armas Cruzadas with the full knowledge of Arturo Chávez Chávez,Mexican Attorney General in an effort to ostensibly prosecute cartels in Mexico using U.S. intelligence and agents. This is a departure from Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Operation Fast and Furious where the Mexican government claimed it knew nothing about the gun-walking program.

The Mexican Attorney General agreed it was beneficial for both "…governments to work in a coordinated fashion to prevent, discourage and process arms traffickers," the documents disclosed.

These documents demonstrate ICE remains more involved in the gun trafficking business than anybody knew or Sec. Napolitano was willing to admit to Congress. . .

This is the first report concerning Operation Armas Cruzadas and a series of stories will provide more information on this gun-trafficking program in the coming days.

Yeah, well I'll be interested to see the document(s) that Ms. Dvorak has. Operation Armas Cruzadas is not exactly a deep dark secret, although like Project Gunrunner it certainly may have deep dark secrets of its own.

Here is the announcement of its inauguration on 9 June 2008.

On 18 March 2009, there was this testimony from David Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department of State before the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, of the Committee on Foreign Affairs on the subject of "Guns, Drugs and Violence: The Merida
Initiative and the Challenge in Mexico":

Just to add a couple of points, there are ongoing operations by our law enforcement agenciesthe DHS, ICE, Operation Armas Cruzadas, going on for 6 months nowwhich have already resulted in 104 criminal arrests, the seizure of 420 weapons, and more than 100,000 rounds of ammunition, and that is one of the cooperative programs. ATF, of course, has Project Gunrunner.

The week before, Marcy Foreman, DHS' Director of the Office of Investigations of ICE testified on the "Border Enforcement Security Task Force" before the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommitte on Homeland Security:

DHS recognizes that southbound weapons smuggling is a grave concern amid the growing violence along our border with Mexico. This violence requires a comprehensive, bilateral effort and on January 30, 2009, Secretary Napolitano responded by issuing a Border Security Action Directive which focused the wide-ranging authorities of the Department on the rampant violence along our southern border. The Secretary emphasized the necessity of a broad, multi-agency response to attack the flow of weapons and money that continues to fuel the violence. ICE contributes to that fight through two principal bilateral initiatives: Operation Firewall to address bulk cash smuggling; and Operation Armas Cruzadas, to detect, disrupt and dismantle weapons smuggling networks. Particularly in Armas Cruzadas, ICE-led, Border Enforcement Security Task Forces (BESTs) function as critical enablers in coordinating a comprehensive, multi-agency approach to fighting weapons smuggling. These DHS task forces include important partners such as Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and other foreign, federal, state and local task force officers.

Armas Cruzadas:

The rampant border violence along the United States/Mexico border is a direct result of criminal organizations attempting to exert their control over not only the democratically elected officials of the Mexican government but also rival criminal organizations. The problem is of such magnitude that the Mexican military has had to step in to support and sometimes replace law enforcement officials who can not address the violence and restore order. Many of the instruments of this violence are from weapons smuggled from the United States into Mexico.

Criminal organizations commonly use straw purchasers with clean criminal histories to purchase firearms and turn them over to smugglers. The challenge in countering the smuggling activity is compounded by the reliance on the technique called "ant trafficking," where small numbers of weapons are smuggled through multiple ports-of-entry, on a continued basis.

In June 2008, ICE formally launched Operation Armas Cruzadas to combat transnational criminal networks smuggling weapons into Mexico from the United States. As part of this initiative, the United States and the Government of Mexico (GoM) synchronize bilateral interdiction, investigation and intelligence-sharing activities to identify, disrupt, and dismantle these networks engaged in weapons smuggling. Key components of Armas Cruzadas include training for BEST task force officers and our partners in ICE's long-standing authorities under the Arms Export Control Act, as well as newly-acquired, export authority under Title 18, United States Code, Section 554 (Smuggling goods from the United States). This statute augments the broad arsenal of cross-border criminal authorities available to ICE investigators, and is particularly useful in targeting weapons smuggling. Another important Armas Cruzadas component is industry outreach, including presentations to groups involved in the manufacture, sale, or shipment of firearms and ammunition along the southwest border. This industry outreach includes a collaborative initiative between ICE and Mexico's Procuraduria General de La Republica (PGR) prosecutors to produce bilingual posters identifying potential penalties for weapons smugglers under U.S. export and Mexican gun trafficking laws. The posters solicit the public for information related to these schemes, and are displayed in shops and agencies in the border region, including ports-of-entry. The Government of Mexico has also distributed these posters within Mexico.

In addition to outreach, more rapid exchange of information is essential to success in confronting the southbound weapons flow. Armas Cruzadas strengthens bilateral communication through deployment of ICE Border Liaisons to sustain cooperative working relationships with foreign and domestic government entities; and also through a Weapons Virtual Task Force, comprised of a virtual online community where U.S. and Mexican investigators can share intelligence and communicate in a secure environment. In order to more seamlessly investigate the networks that span our common border, BESTs, ICE attaché offices, a U.S.-vetted GoM Arms Trafficking Group and the Border Violence Intelligence Cell exchange cross-border weapons-related intelligence. The Border Violence Intelligence Cell, housed at the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), along with the ATF weapons desk, serves as ICE's central point for analyzing all-source intelligence and trends in firearms smuggling. In December of last year, this cell, in conjunction with DHS intelligence components, produced a strategic assessment of southbound weapons smuggling that guided increased weapons investigation and interdiction operations along the Southwest Border.

Let me share an example of how ICE partners with others, such as ATF and local investigators, in combating weapons smuggling. ICE, ATF, and the San Antonio Police Department initiated an investigation of Ernesto Tornel Olvera-Garza of Monterrey, Mexico who first began trafficking in hunting rifles in June 2005. During the course of the investigation, agents learned that between 2006 and the time of his arrest in October 2007, he trafficked in high-powered, high-capacity handguns and assault rifles. Since his temporary visa did not allow him to legally buy guns in the United States, Mr. Olvera-Garza instead paid people in the United States to buy guns for him and lied about who the guns were for. Mr. Olvera-Garza organized and led the gun-smuggling conspiracy, which included at least nine "straw purchasers" who purchased firearms on his behalf. More than 50 weapons were purchased and smuggled to Mexico as part of this ring. One of Mr. Olvera-Garza's smuggled pistols was recovered in Mexico after it was used in a running gun battle where two Mexican soldiers were killed. Mr. Olvera-Garza has pleaded guilty and is pending sentencing.

Since the initiation of Operations Armas Cruzadas, DHS has seized 420 weapons, 110,894 rounds of ammunition and arrested 104 individuals on criminal charges, resulting in 58 criminal indictments and 42 convictions to date.

So Armas Cruzadas was hardly a secret, as I say. Actually, I hope Dvorak's future stories will include a little more context as well as documents, so that we may judge the evidence ourselves.

Posted by Dutchman6 at 9:17 AM





http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.c...urity.html

[Ed Jewett]

For the record: Babeu Q & A on Fast and Furious

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Tim Steller, Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Sunday, October 30, 2011 7:00 am | Comments
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In this ad, Sheriff Paul Babeu asked readers of the Drudge Report to click to sign a petition about Operation Fast and Furious. The ad linked to his re-election page, which included a prominent solicitation of online donations.

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My story today on Operation Fast and Furious is print-only, so you'll have to pick up a copy of the paper to read it. Or wait till Tuesday afternoon, when it will be available at azstarnet.com.
In the meantime, suffice it to say that some of the story analyzed statements that Sheriff Paul Babeu has been making about Operation Fast and Furious. I asked the sheriff some questions about Fast and Furious via email. Here are the questions and answers.
Q: When you says that those officials who carried out Fast & Furious should be considered accomplices or accessories to murder, are you serious, or is that a rhetorical point, that they could be charged? If serious, who in the ATF/DOJ chain of command should be investigated as possible accomplices or accessories to murder and other crimes? The line agents? Their supervisors? The U.S. Attorney's Office or Justice Department officials involved?

A: The American people deserve a thorough, impartial, and independent review of what happened here. Nothing short of that will ever be acceptable. The Justice Department has a serious conflict of interest in policing itself. So no more scapegoats--let's find out just how this happened, exactly who is responsible, and hold them accountable.
This is why the Sheriffs of Arizona both Republicans and Democrats are demanding a Special Counsel to investigate Attorney General Eric Holder and the Department of Justice for their roles in Operation Fast and Furious.
The Sheriffs are demanding the truth from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and believe that those responsible should be held criminally accountable for allowing 2,000 guns including assault weapons and 50 caliber rifles to be purchased on U.S. Soil and then turned over to the drug cartels of Mexico. As a result of their reckless facilitation and distribution of these weapons, our deputies and American citizens may now face the barrel of a gun that was placed in the hands of criminals by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Citizens of the United States and Mexico have already been murdered by cartel members who now posses these weapons. There is no doubt more bloodshed will occur on both sides of the border, since over 1,500 weapons still remain unaccounted for.
Q: What, if anything, could you and your office do to pursue an investigation (and possible criminal charges) against those who carried out Operation Fast & Furious? Are you considering doing that, or already doing it? Would you do it if a criminal suspect were caught with a F & F weapon in Pinal County?
A: At this time we are assisting the Congressional Committee investigating this matter by providing information records regarding weapons we have seized to see if any of them are linked to Fast and Furious. As stated above we agree with the other Sheriffs' of Arizona that a Special Counsel should be appointed to investigate this matter.
Weapons from Fast and Furious have already been recovered during one of our drug smuggling investigations.
Q: You have said repeatedly that you think Operation Fast and Furious was designed to lead to gun-control measures. What evidence of this have you seen? How can I find it?
A: This administration has repeatedly stated in the media that "90% of the weapons used to commit crimes in Mexico come from the United States." They have used this argument in their support of tougher gun control measures. If you google search the quoted information, you will see numerous stories about it. Here is one such story link regarding the quote:
http://www.factcheck.org/politics/counti..._guns.html
At the same time they are stating this, our own Federal government was using taxpayer money from the stimulus to purchase automatic weapons and sell them directly to the most dangerous criminals in North America.
The firearm dealers in these cases flagged the purchases and reported them to the Federal government, who then ordered them to make the sale anyway.
Q: You have repeatedly said Operation Fast and Furious is worse than Watergate. In what ways are Fast and Furious and Watergate similar?
A: If you knew that a foreign power had caused over 2,000 guns to arrive in the hands of America's most dangerous criminals, what would you say? What if those weapons had been used to commit more than 200 murders?
Now consider that the Federal government did just that--and to an ally. Nobody died because of Watergate and no treaties were violated. People on both sides of the border will be dealing with the deadly fallout for years to come. But before this is over, we'll know exactly what Barack Obama knew--and when he knew it.
Q: Why are you spending so much time talking about Operation Fast and Furious around the country?
A: This is not a partisan issue, but a serious public safety issue that threatens the safety of our citizens and members of law enforcement.
Our own federal government has armed the very cartels that our law enforcement are fighting with on a daily basis.
Fast and Furious quickly proved to be a catastrophe, but the public didn't learn about it until Agent Brian Terry was murdered on American soil. Since then, whistleblowers have been punished, those responsible have been promoted, scapegoats have been offered, and inconsistent testimony provided to Congress. This is a textbook attempt at obstruction by the Federal government.
The family of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry reached out to me after his murder. I have promised them, that I will continue to demand justice for his brother's murder.
Q: Why did three of the four border sheriffs in Arizona, those whose officers are perhaps most likely to face Fast and Furious weapons, not join your call for a special investigator?
A: You obviously were not at the Press Conference in Phoenix where I conveyed the messages of support from Sheriff Dupnik of Pima County and Sheriff Estrada of Santa Cruz County. Sheriff Dever of Cochise County was present at the press conference.
Q: In your many talks and interviews about Operation Fast and Furious, you have often combined fundraising activities with discussing Fast and Furious. For example, last week's fundraiser by Hugh Hewitt in Paradise Valley was advertised as including your update on Fast and Furious. Also, a previous interview with Hewitt included numerous references to the sheriffpaul.com website. And your Drudge Report ad linked to a page where contributions could be made. Why the frequent combination of talking about Fast & Furious and doing campaign fundraising?
A: What occurred regarding Fast and Furious has outraged nearly everyone in America. Not a day goes by where I am not asked about my knowledge of it and what I feel should be done. As an elected official, citizens are my bosses and I will continue to answer their demands for accountability and justice regarding this botched operation which has put dangerous weapons directly into the hands of the Mexican drug cartels. The President of Mexico has declared war on the very cartels our U.S. government armed with weapons. Over 42,000 people have already died in Mexico as a result of cartel violence. Citizens of the U.S. have also died as a result of these weapons being placed in the hands of the most dangerous criminals law enforcement faces.
Q: You have made repeated references, along with your Fast & Furious comments, to your anger about the president for apologizing for America. What are you referring to?
A: President Obama has apologized numerous times to other countries and groups for what he has deemed as mistakes made by the United States.
The United States is by far the most generous nation in the world. In my opinion and that of most Americans, we don't owe any other nation an apology until now. President Obama should be apologizing now to Mexico for arming the very cartels the President of Mexico has declared war against. Mexico and their citizens are not our enemies they are our ally. The drug cartels who are trying to take over the Mexican Government are our enemy and now they have been armed with over 2,000 additional weapons to fight with.
Q: You've given a few estimates of casualties from Fast & Furious weapons. At the Oct. 8 press conference, you referred to 142 crime scenes. Elias Johnson referred in an online interview to 300 casualties derived from Fast & Furious. What are you and your employees referring to when you give these casualty figures? Deaths only, or injuries too? Cases in which the Fast & Furious weapons were found at the scene, or cases in which F & F weapons are known to have been used to shoot somebody?
A: Originally the number of crime scenes reported through the media in which weapons from Fast and Furious were found at crime scene was 142. Recently Senator Grassley has said according to ATF the number is now 179.
On September 20th, 2011 the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Darrell Issa, reported to media that the Attorney General in Mexico has said at least 200 murders south of the border happened as a result of Operation Fast and Furious. Eleven crimes in the United States have been linked to Operation Fast and Furious up to this point. Issa said he expects as the investigation in the operation continues, more crimes connected to Fast and Furious will come to light and be exposed.
I have not spoken to Elias about what he was most likely referring to could be when Congressman Humberto Benitez Trevino, of Mexico who heads the justice committee, said the number of people killed or wounded by the weapons had probably doubled to 300.
Q: Where do you draw the line between your Fast & Furious events being political ones versus official PCSO ones? Elias Johnson told me that your office hadn't videotaped the Tucson Tea Party event because it's a political event, but it seems some of your Fast and Furious events are official. Again, how do you draw that line?
A: The September 26th "Townhall" meeting was not a political event but rather an event I attended in my official capacity as the Sheriff of Pinal County. I was asked to talk to over 400 citizens who attended the meeting about Operation Fast and Furious. I presented along with Congressman Gosar, who sits on the Congressional Oversight Committee and Special Agent Vince Cefalu who was the ATF whistleblower regarding Operation Fast and Furious.
Most presentations I make whether they are political or official I do not coordinate any type of videotaping for.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
Q: You said "weapons from Fast and Furious have already been recovered during one of our drug smuggling investigations." Was this the Angel Hernandez-Diaz case from March 2010, where he rammed DPS officers? If not, could you point me to the case?
A: No I am not referencing that case. The case I am referring to is still part of an ongoing investigation. Once the investigation is completed, the specifics of the case can be released.
Q: You didn't really address my question about your fundraising and Fast and Furious. How can you say this is not a political or partisan issue when you seem to be raising money off it for your own political campaign?
A: Once again this is a public safety issues. Operation Fast and Furious has outraged nearly everyone in America. Not a day goes by where I am not asked about my knowledge of it and what I feel should be done. As an elected official, citizens are my bosses and I will continue to answer their demands for accountability and justice regarding this botched operation which has put dangerous weapons directly into the hands of the Mexican drug cartels. The President of Mexico has declared war on the very cartels our U.S. government armed with weapons. Over 42,000 people have already died in Mexico as a result of cartel violence. Citizens of the U.S. have also died as a result of these weapons being placed in the hands of the most dangerous criminals law enforcement faces.
Q: What evidence do you have that "taxpayer money from the stimulus" was used "to purchase automatic weapons and sell them" to criminals? I've seen reports that said stimulus money went to Fast and Furious, but so far the best information I've been able to see says that stimulus money went to Project Gunrunner but not to this particular investigation, Fast and Furious. Please clarify.
A: It has been reported through various media entities that stimulus funds were used to fund the operation. It was even written in the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery act (aka: Stimulus package) where it states, "$10,000,000 shall be transferred to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Salaries and Expenses' for the ATF Project Gunrunner."
Project Gunrunner received "directly allocated" stimulus funds. It is our understanding that Operation Fast and Furious was tucked under Project Gunrunner, essentially using the same funding.
There is also a letter from House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa and Senator Grassley sent to Attorney General Eric holder stating, "The evidence we have gathered raises the disturbing possibility that the Justice Department (DOJ) not only allowed criminals to smuggle weapons, but that taxpayer dollars from other agencies may have financed those engaging in such activities."
Issa has also done several interviews where he has stated, "U.S. dollars were used in at least some part to buy weapons." Below is a link to a Fox News Story on the topic as well. As you will read, ATF Agent John Dodson was ordered to buy weapons and later sell them to known illegal buyers.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/...ents-show/
If you still have questions, I would recommend you contact Representative Issa or Senator Grassley.
Q: Since you announced your exploratory committee, I should ask if you expect discussion of Fast and Furious to be an important part of your exploratory campaign or a future congressional campaign?
A: I have always preached transparency in government. Issues which affect our Country need to be discussed and resolved openly not behind closed doors in Washington, D.C. Citizens who elect me are my bosses and they are demanding answers regarding what occurred during this botched operation. I will continue to demand answers not only for them but also to seek justice for the family of Agent Brian Terry who was murdered with weapons supplied to the Mexican drug cartels by our own Federal Government.


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Posted in Senor-reporter on Sunday, October 30, 2011 7:00 am Updated: 6:40 pm.


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