ATF: U.S. Gun Dealer Sold To Drug Cartels
Federal and state officials said they broke up a Phoenix-based firearms trafficking operation on Tuesday that provided violent Mexican drug cartels with hundreds of weapons.
The owner of a gun shop called X Calibur Guns, George Iknadosian, 46, knowingly sold at least 650 firearms to drug cartels, according to officials with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The firearms ranged from high-end semiautomatic pistols to assault-style rifles.
"These are weapons of war for the cartels and they're procuring them here by illegal means," Peter Forcelli, an ATF supervisory special agent, told KTVK-TV in Phoenix.
The investigation into X Calibur began 11 months ago, and in that time, undercover agents with ATF and Phoenix police have gone into the store and bought guns after indicating they were to be trafficked to Mexico, ATF special agent Carlos Baixauli told The Associated Press.
Agents raided the store Tuesday and arrested Iknadosian, a Glendale resident. Also arrested were two Mexican brothers legally living in the Phoenix metro area.
Baixauli said the brothers, identified as Hugo Gamez, 26, and Cesar Gamez, 28, worked for a major Mexican drug cartel.
The three were in the custody of Phoenix police and face charges including conducting an illegal enterprise, misconduct involving weapons, money laundering, forgery and fraudulent schemes.
"The bottom line is illegal gun trafficking is not only destroying Mexico, but some of these guns may get back to the United States," Baixauli said. "It puts our law enforcement officers in danger, and in Mexico, it decimates law enforcement."
Further details of the operation are to be announced at a news conference Tuesday afternoon at Attorney General Terry Goddard's office. ATF, the U.S. Marshals Office, Phoenix police and the Mexican Attorney General's Office are set to attend.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The owner of a gun shop called X Calibur Guns, George Iknadosian, 46, knowingly sold at least 650 firearms to drug cartels, according to officials with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The firearms ranged from high-end semiautomatic pistols to assault-style rifles.
"These are weapons of war for the cartels and they're procuring them here by illegal means," Peter Forcelli, an ATF supervisory special agent, told KTVK-TV in Phoenix.
The investigation into X Calibur began 11 months ago, and in that time, undercover agents with ATF and Phoenix police have gone into the store and bought guns after indicating they were to be trafficked to Mexico, ATF special agent Carlos Baixauli told The Associated Press.
Agents raided the store Tuesday and arrested Iknadosian, a Glendale resident. Also arrested were two Mexican brothers legally living in the Phoenix metro area.
Baixauli said the brothers, identified as Hugo Gamez, 26, and Cesar Gamez, 28, worked for a major Mexican drug cartel.
The three were in the custody of Phoenix police and face charges including conducting an illegal enterprise, misconduct involving weapons, money laundering, forgery and fraudulent schemes.
"The bottom line is illegal gun trafficking is not only destroying Mexico, but some of these guns may get back to the United States," Baixauli said. "It puts our law enforcement officers in danger, and in Mexico, it decimates law enforcement."
Further details of the operation are to be announced at a news conference Tuesday afternoon at Attorney General Terry Goddard's office. ATF, the U.S. Marshals Office, Phoenix police and the Mexican Attorney General's Office are set to attend.
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Posted by dragonwagon5 at 06:24 AM : May 08, 2008
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well it is obvious that you have a very twisted perception of economy..btw do you jack off while you watch ''scarface''?
Looks like ''''A'''' militia to me.
Posted by dragonwagon5 at 05:36 PM : May 07, 2008
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for you it is for me its DRUG CARTEL..using guns o kill people who OPPOSE thier operation TO poison our society with drugs..HENCE THEY NEED TO BE STOPPED..GUNS DESTROYED AND CRIMINALS PUNISHED TO TH FULL EXTENT OF THE LAW..
good try though..
Cute. The 2nd Amendment is not about %u201Ca militia%u201D, but it does refer to THE militia. No, these guys are definitely breaking the law.
This case is actually a fairly good example of existing laws being sufficient to stop criminal behavior.
It would have been nice if the story had included some detail regarding the sales of guns to Mexican drug cartel members. The charges for sales to undercover agents claiming to have ties to the drug cartels may be enough to put these people away for a while, but it would be helpful to know what was actually sold to the bad guys.
It''s like arresting the bartender for drunk driving.
Is it really your business what John Doe does with your product after he buys it? The responsibility is John''s after that, not yours.