Border Patrol Agent's Murder Tied to ATF's Covert Shipment of Over 1700 Weapons to Mexico

ATF Whistleblowers out 'Operation Fast and Furious'- catch it tonight on Expert Witness Radio.

John Dodson, one of the ATF agents who opposed allowing cases full of AK-47 and precision [.50 caliber] Barrett rifles to cross into Mexico. Photo: CBS News

(NEW YORK / SALEM) - Three federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have blown the whistle on this covert U.S. program dating back to 2008, that smuggled more than 1700 illegal weapons over the border and into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. It was called "Operation Fast And Furious' and it might be one of the most bitter indictments in American law enforcement history.

It is reported that these ATF supplied guns have already been traced to numerous cartel murders and the shooting death of a US Border Patrol Agent in December.

Salem-News.com covers the Mexican drug war stories frequently, and our visitors have the unique opportunity to catch stories through one of the most interesting people I have ever had contact with; Tosh Plumlee is a former contract CIA pilot and he knows what is taking place in the drug war raging at the U.S./Mexican border. He has assisted us in a number of investigative reports.

The only mainstream news source covering the story is CBS News and in Mexico, coverage has only been seen on Univision (Spanish Language TV). President Obama has promised that the matter will be investigated. Plumlee raises doubts over whether this will take place.

"Will this ever happen? Not if you take your eyes off the ball it won't," Plumlee said.

Another person dialed in with the real drug war is reporter Bill Conroy of Narco News. His investigations from the U.S. side of the border are groundbreaking examples of the type of journalism that is seldom seen with mainstream media.

These two intrepid activists for truth will be featured on the Expert Witness Radio Show Tuesday March 29th, Midnight to 1:00 a.m. Listeners in New York City can catch the program live on WBAI Radio 99.5 FM; everyone else can listen by dialing into expertwitnessradio.org. Also, use sticher.com/expert for a free feed to your cell phone.

From the translated story: Controversy erupts after ATF allows illegal arms shipments to Mexico by lo-de-alla.org - News and views from Latin America

The operation, named “Fast and Furious,” was carried out without notifying the Mexican government.

Through an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity and the Los Angeles Times, in which ATF internal documents disclosed the failure of an operation attempting to dismantle the chain of smuggling that permitted Mexican drug cartels to arm themselves, the director of operations of the agency, Kenneth E. Melson, was moved to announce the creation of a panel of experts and professionals to review strategies following the spectacular failure of Operation Fast and Furious.

“This review will allow us to maximize the effectiveness of ATF in the most complex cases of weapons trafficking and the prosecution of those responsible. At the same time, it will support our efforts to reduce the illegal flow of arms to Mexico and to combat trafficking networks within the United States,” said Melson in the midst of a barrage of criticism from Congress and demands for an investigation.

According to ATF reports that have surfaced during the investigation, approximately 1,765 weapons were sold to presumed smugglers during a period of 15 months. Of the total, 797 were recuperated on both sides of the Mexico-US border, including 195 linked to crimes committed on Mexican soil.

It is sure an interesting thing to learn, in a nation that is bitterly divided over illegal immigration; that so many of the guns causing so much violence that causes Mexicans to flee northward, were not just being supplied by Americans, but the government, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Of course without high integrity people inside the agency it would be unknown. Still, we can only hope that we have gained something beyond a narrow view of the scope of this deadly problem.

Tim King: Salem-News.com Editor and Writer

Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines.

Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Excellence in Journalism Award by the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (2010), Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), First-place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Tim has several years of experience in network affiliate news TV stations, having worked as a reporter and photographer at NBC, ABC and FOX stations in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Tim was a member of the National Press Photographer's Association for several years and is a current member of the Orange County Press Club in Southern California.

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