Accused ‘straw buyer’ of US firearms, Danny Cruz Morones entered a Plea Bargain in Federal Court, pleading guilty to charges connected with the ‘Fast and Furious’ gun walking scheme, and will now serve four years and seven months in prison.
Mexican Mormons related to Mitt Romney make a stand against the local drug dealers, while holding together colonies that are secure havens for Mormon polygamists. Shane Smith, of Vice, reports on the fascinating history of the Mormons in Chihuahua, and the relatives of Mitt Romney who still farm and raise their families in colonies that were established as sanctuaries from American prosecutions and persecutions.
“It should never be the policy of the US government to allow firearms to be smuggled into Mexico. A program such as Operation Fast and Furious should never have been approved and must never happen again. There clearly was inadequate oversight that allowed American weapons to fall into the hands of violent Mexican criminals and drug cartel members.”
An FBI asset in the Sinaloan ‘cartel’ arranged massive purchases of assault rifles in Phoenix Gun Shops. Behind this operation, ATF surveillance gathered evidence that could have led to indictments, but federal prosecutors refused to prosecute ATF casework.
President Barack Obama signed the Brian Terry Memorial Act, which will rename the Border Patrol Station in the Bisbee area in honor of the slain agent.
Brian Terry was murdered over a year ago, with an assault rifle that was part of the infamous “Fast and Furious” gunwalking cases, where ATF and FBI agents documented sales, buyers and surveillance that allowed arms to be smuggled into Mexico.
A second man charged in connection with the Brian Terry homicide was in jail on the night of the shooting.
However, the sealed records do not show what charges were made, and he may have been indicted as part of a wider conspiracy.
The Brian Terry family has filed a lawsuit targeting both the Gun Shop and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for his death last year near Arivaca.
“Based on the evidence before the Committee, it is clear that ATF agents in Phoenix and prosecutors in the Arizona U.S. Attorney’s Office embarked on a deliberate strategy not to arrest suspected straw purchasers while they attempted to make larger cases against higher-level targets. Although these officials claimed they had no probable cause to arrest any straw purchasers at the time, allowing hundreds of illegally purchased military-grade assault weapons to fall into the hands of violent drug cartels over the course of five years created an obvious and inexcusable threat to public safety on both sides of the border.
Gabrielle Giffords and Gaston Glock are forever linked to both American history and culture.
The tragedy of Gabrielle Giffords’ near assassination in the Tucson Massacre is complex and full of missed opportunities. Gabby’s personal firearm is a Glock, as was the shooter’s weapon.
FBI Director Robert Mueller denied that a third gun was allegedly recovered at Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s murder investigation. “There was no third weapon found at the scene. There were two weapons that were found at the scene, not a third. Why there were suggestions as to a third I’m still not certain… But the fact of the matter is there were only two weapons found at the scene,” Mueller said.
