San Antonio Express-News
Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics undercover agent Francisco Javier Reyes Luna is facing three counts of federal firearm violations.
Three firearms seizures in South Texas this year, totaling 131 weapons headed toward Mexico, appeared unrelated, until federal agents traced several of the weapons to an unlikely source.
This week, agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested a now-former agent with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs on charges that he bought and sold high-powered guns for illegal export to Mexico.
Francisco Javier Reyes, 29, is suspected of running the underground venture while he worked for the Oklahoma anti-drug agency, court records show. He was released on bail. Neither Reyes nor his lawyer returned calls seeking comment.
Court papers said Reyes recruited at least two men to act as “straw buyers” to purchase .50-caliber guns and assault-style rifles for him in Oklahoma. One has not been charged, and the other has since died under circumstances that relatives said are suspicious, according to court records.
The documents said Reyes paid the buyers $50 to $100 for each gun they bought, which made him a target of Project Gunrunner, an ATF initiative aimed at gun traffickers.
The documents also said a tribal police officer who sold Reyes an assault rifle told agents that “Reyes is always looking for assault rifles and even .50-caliber rifles.”
In April, agents seized 28 guns headed to Laredo, and 11 of them were traced back to Oklahoma. ATF agents questioned people who recalled having sold two of the weapons, both assault rifles, to Reyes, court records said.
In May, Border Patrol agents near La Coste, in Medina County, came across a Ford pickup that had 59 assault rifles hidden in a load of plywood. One of them was traced back to Reyes.
Weapons seized from Cristobal Riojas on May 27, 2010 in South Texas
The truck's driver, Christobal Riojas Jr. of Dallas, was indicted June 9 in Del Rio on charges of smuggling firearms. He is awaiting trial.
In June, the ATF monitored the sale of a Barrett .50-caliber gun between a cooperating witness and Reyes, court records said. The officers also watched as the gun was moved from a vehicle Reyes was driving into others, eventually winding up in suburban Dallas.
On June 15, that gun was found in a load of 44 firearms in separate cars that agents had followed to Eagle Pass. The cars' drivers were arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety, but details of their charges were not immediately available.
“ATF is trying to neutralize, as best we can, the flow of guns and ammo to the southern border,” said Michael A. Golson, assistant special agent in charge of the ATF in Dallas, which oversees Oklahoma City. “It's a very serious problem, and ATF will be relentless, not just in the pursuit of gun traffickers, but gun-trafficking organizations.”
Agents Make Second Arrest in Mexican Firearms Smuggling Scheme
By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9
newson6.com
Gregorio Martinez Morales was arrested Tuesday in connection with a firearms smuggling scheme involving Mexican drug cartels.
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Federal authorities have arrested a second person in connection with a gun smuggling scheme allegedly organized by a former Oklahoma drug agent.
On Tuesday, August 10, Gregorio Martinez Morales was taken into custody. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) raided Morales' homes in Lewisville, Texas where they found weapons and cash, according to authorities.
Morales, 35, is now in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Haskell, Texas. A spokesman for the ICE office in Dallas said Morales is being held on immigration violation charges and is currently being processed for deportation.
"For privacy reasons we can't release anything more than that, but we can tell you the deportation process could take some time," said ICE spokesman Carl Rusnok.
According to ATF agents, Morales is connected to a gun smuggling scheme orchestrated by former Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics agent Francisco Javier Reyes.
Read more: http://newsok.com/arrested-oklahoma-bureau-of-narcotics-agent-was-tracked-by-authorities-for-several-days/article/3484492#ixzz0wRmr5gOK
read the federal complaint against Francisco Javier Reyes
http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/griffin/NEWS9/PDF/1008/Reyes%20Complaint.pdf
Superb reporting Gerardo!
ReplyDeleteCause/Effect.
This is tangible proof of the effectiveness of diplomacy politics.
To all those "mostly cloudies" out there: this is what effective governments are supposed to produce; this is their product, what they sell, and what you're buying.
Congratulations to all involved; on both sides of the border. I stand by you, and I wish you many more victories!
AR
Por Zona Centro en
Siempre Heroica Matamoros.
Gerardo...
ReplyDeleteI will be checking back to see if the anonymous commentators will be anywhere nearly as rancorous as with the "Los Zetas and the Gun Laws that Help Them Thrive" article of Aug 10 (30 comments today! Really! 30! He he he....). After reading today's article and playing the video, somehow I doubt it.
Just to remind everybody, and as a public service...here's the link, to cut-n-paste, that will take you to that Borderland Beat article:
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2010/08/los-zetas-and-gun-laws-that-help-them.html
Two birds with one stone:
1) the holier-than-thou myth of the uncorruptable and "squeaky cheecked" US and state law enforcement officers, and
2) the myth (while whistling past the graveyard) that somehow the DTO's didn't find American Gun Laws so "deliciously convenient."
But thats o.k! ...todos tenemos cola que nos pisen. You convict and jail them, and we'll start getting our act together by lynching a "Chaman" or two in Juarez (there's alot of "Chamans" over here, want a piece of the action?)
By the way...I have a question for all my fellow gun hobbyists (a real question...not tounge-in-cheek): had this guy not purchased through straw men, attempted to illegally smuggle and to alter the guns to hamper detection, could he have legally kept all these rifles? I think so...right?
AR
Heroica Matamoros.
be honest guys criminals whether they work for law enforcement agencies or are regular citizens are taking advantage of the gun laws we have here in the US. http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2010/08/los-zetas-and-gun-laws-that-help-them.html#comment-form
ReplyDeleteI do not want to lose my rights to own guns and ammo but its going to take smarter men than me to figure out how to keep men of dubious moral character from exploiting our generous gun laws.
Excellent post Gerardo!
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone should enter into a finger pointing squabble, but this article shows there are issues in the U.S. as well.
I believe the key factor to change, is admitting there is a problem. For years, both countries have sat around blaming the other (one demands the other supplies, it's the same as the asking which came first the chicken or the egg, in the end the answer, for most purpose and intent, will make no difference).
Both countries have corruption (one may perform these acts behind closed doors, while the other displays it brazenly for the entire world to see)without a doubt. Both countries have erred. Both countries need serious in-house cleaning..But of course we all know that.
Nobody likes self-evaluating and admitting flaws, weaknesses, and decay, but it's necessary: not only the aknowledgment, but the plan to and carrying out of change.
Until then all the planning, reporting, dialogue, and "good will" simply amounts to much ado about nada.
Let's not forget this all stems from family ties to Mexico.
ReplyDeleteUncle "Chuy" a capital in Mexico urges his nephews and friends to join and infiltrate U.S. L.E.A's and learn the ways and recruit other Leo's by force or with money T9 join "the cause". After all we are human beings capable of being corrupted even in the best of circles. Not everyone is cut from the same moral cloth.
aw, the infamous Uncle Chuy.. While this most certainly does happen, I don't think this ALL stems from family ties in Mexico.
ReplyDeleteDo you think every corrupted politician, agent, and officer in the U.S. has a connection to Uncle Chuy? Highly doubtful, but like Uncle Chuy they're all after their take in the most profitable business around, everyone chasing the almighty dollar.
FYI: gun smuggling is not only a problem south of the border. There has been a decent amount North of the border as well, and they weren't being moved by Uncle Chuy.
Perhaps it is necessary to delve deeper during pre-employment screening for such delicate positions (on both sides of the border)
Quien es ese guay?
ReplyDeletelife with no parole for this hijo de puta
ReplyDeleteContreras refers to the guns as "assault-style," then refers to them as "assault rifles." To his credit he refers to "court records" when he uses the second description, but journalists and the "justice system" need to get their nomenclature straight.
ReplyDeleteThe very definition of "assault weapon" is select-fire (full auto) capability. Such guns cannot be purchased on the open market. They were not assault weapons.
Quit trying to jazz up stories and headlines artificially. Or learn what the hell you're talking about.
it doesn`t matter what type of weapons they were the point is that it happens regularly .they all KILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1when trusted law enforcement in the U.S. are doing this type of thing and then pointing the finger at the Mexican law enforcement there is something seriously wrong.the fire power acquired in the U.S. is much more deadly than the Mexican law enforcement agencies have in their possession and they are being sold to the cartels to fight & kill the police that are trying to protect their citizens.WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletethe most embarassing thing is that they had to be mexicans, for money this assholes would sell their mothers..
ReplyDeleteAR
ReplyDeleteHeroica Matamoros.
August 13, 2010 8:04 AM
To sort of answer your question, it really depends on his state, and whether private sales(face to face sales) are legal in oklahoma.
Anonymous said...
August 23, 2010 2:54 PM
No, No dude you couldn't be more wrong. I know you think thats the case cause of what the media feeds you but in reality the Mexican military is more better armed than 80% of the cartels. In order to understand this you have to know something about the different types of firearms that you see int he pictures.
I wonder how many of these guns Eric Holder was responsible for . Not that he would ever tell teh truth about it
ReplyDelete