"The truth about the Fast and Furious scandal" - a detailed account of the operation
A Fortune investigation reveals that the ATF never intentionally allowed guns to fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. How the world came to believe just the opposite is a tale of rivalry, murder, and political bloodlust.
FORTUNE -- In the annals of impossible assignments, Dave Voth's ranked high. In 2009 the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives promoted Voth to lead Phoenix Group VII, one of seven new ATF groups along the Southwest border tasked with stopping guns from being trafficked into Mexico's vicious drug war.
Some call it the "parade of ants"; others the "river of iron." The Mexican government has estimated that 2,000 weapons are smuggled daily from the U.S. into Mexico. The ATF is hobbled in its effort to stop this flow. No federal statute outlaws firearms trafficking, so agents must build cases using a patchwork of often toothless laws. For six years, due to Beltway politics, the bureau has gone without permanent leadership, neutered in its fight for funding and authority. The National Rifle Association has so successfully opposed a comprehensive electronic database of gun sales that the ATF's congressional appropriation explicitly prohibits establishing one.
Voth, 39, was a good choice for a Sisyphean task. Strapping and sandy-haired, the former Marine is cool-headed and punctilious to a fault. In 2009 the ATF named him outstanding law-enforcement employee of the year for dismantling two violent street gangs in Minneapolis. He was the "hardest working federal agent I've come across," says John Biederman, a sergeant with the Minneapolis Police Department. But as Voth left to become the group supervisor of Phoenix Group VII, a friend warned him: "You're destined to fail."
Voth's mandate was to stop gun traffickers in Arizona, the state ranked by the gun-control advocacy group Legal Community Against Violence as having the nation's "weakest gun violence prevention laws." Just 200 miles from Mexico, which prohibits gun sales, the Phoenix area is home to 853 federally licensed firearms dealers. Billboards advertise volume discounts for multiple purchases.
Much more:
http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2012/06/27/fast-and-furious-truth/
I am sure this could have a lot added to it. In addition, I am also sure that parts of it will be disputed.
It is the best summation of this whole mishegas I have read. It should have ben called 'SNAFU and FUBAR.'
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and tried to get the bigger players with wiretaps. They were hamstrung by the AG who wouldn't prosecute, and incredible delays when they asked for anything.
The worst action was when the agent named Dodson went rogue and did things without authorization from anybody. Guns were purchased, and then Dodson went on vacation. Tracking of he guns stopped quickly. This was the case where they did walk guns they bought, but it was done without approval. You can't safeguard what you don't know about.
While they did let some guns walk, this was an attempt to catch bigger fish. This tactic isn't unknown in law enforcement. They track illegal movement of various things all the time in order to reach the higher ups.
They did make mistakes. However, I don't see how they got anything done working under AZ gun laws and a cautious AG.
It was lose lose. Catch smallfish when they could and hope those would be prosecuted and try to catch bigger fish to prove the 'criminal intent' the AG demanded. It was an impossible task.
Edit to add: Any case involving guns is watched very closely by the NRA and others. I'd bet cash money, they would scream to high heaven if any case didn't have every single thing perfect even if it allowed SAMs into Mexico.
then guns are going to go through. 'Walk' sounds like they were escorted across by agents. In addition, operating with SEVEN agents how much could they realistically catch. In order to make a dent, they would need tougher laws and eleventy billion agents.
One said, "There's what you think. There's what you know. Then there is what you can prove." People seem to believe that there should be action on the think and know. Not gonna happen with the NRA watching.
The other problems are the ATF's reputation and bureaucratic infighting. The ATF hasn't exctly won friends and influenced people. Others are probably glad this happened.
