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Three high-ranking Mexican officers arrested at Phoenix gun show

mzbk2l

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http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0912mexpolice.html

Three high-ranking Mexican officers arrested at Phoenix gun show
The Associated Press
Sept. 12, 2007 09:54 AM



PHOENIX - Three high-ranking Mexican police officers were arrested over the weekend for buying weapons at a gun show in Phoenix in violation of a law barring non-citizens from purchasing firearms, a federal official said Wednesday.

The three include the director of the Baja California Sur state police and a commander of the federal police in Baja California, said Tom Mangan, a spokesman with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Phoenix.

The three had crossed the border at Calexico, Calif., in an official police vehicle and driven to Phoenix. They were arrested by Phoenix police and ATF agents after buying three handguns and about 450 rounds of ammunition Saturday at the gun show, Mangan said.

He said it appeared the officers were buying the handguns for their personal use.

Phoenix police booked Carlos Alberto Flores, 36, the Baja California state police director, on state weapons misconduct and conspiracy charges, according to a Phoenix police report. State police Commander Guillermo Valle Medina, 33, was booked on the same felony charges, as was Jose Santos Cortez Gonzalez, 41, a top-ranking federal police official.

They posted bond and were released from jail, Mangan said.

Phoenix police, Mesa police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents running an enforcement program at the gun show overheard Gonzalez negotiating with a dealer for two guns, then watched as he bought them, according to the police report.

Officers followed Gonzalez and Flores back to their Chevrolet Suburban, which was armored and equipped with bulletproof windows. They went back inside, met up with Valle, and continued buying ammunition and gun supplies before leaving, according to the report.

Police stopped their vehicle after they left the gun show, searched it and found the three handguns and the ammunition, the police report said.

Mangan said Mexican officials have been pressuring U.S. officials to cut off the supply of weapons going south.
 

swift

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Kind of funny that Mexican Officials were the ones caught buying the guns when Mexican Officials have asked the US to put a stop to it. :)
 

Tomahawk

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Am I the only one who thinks that being Mexican and paying honest money for a gun shouldn't be against the law? (Although they are Mexican government officials, not ordinary schmos...)
 

imperialism2024

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Tomahawk wrote:
Am I the only one who thinks that being Mexican and paying honest money for a gun shouldn't be against the law? (Although they are Mexican government officials, not ordinary schmos...)
No, but when some of us (many of us?) can't even buy handguns in other states in the United States of America (can anyone say interstate commerce?), it's irritating that people from other countries are buying guns here...
 

Toymaker

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swift wrote:
Kind of funny that Mexican Officials were the ones caught buying the guns when Mexican Officials have asked the US to put a stop to it. :)


Morehypocrisy byour liberal neighbors (Mexico and Canada) and ourleftist news media.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4667316

Mexican and Canadian Officials blame the US for guns smuggled into their countries but they do little to nothing about the drugs and illegals that flow into the US from their countries. Even their own corrupt officials are caught smuggling guns back across their borders yet they continue tolevy heavy restrictions on gun possession by their law abiding citizens.



Also.....the guns were bought from a private seller.
 

lockman

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They probably unlawfully claimed government LEO exemptions and signed or provided "official" documents. That is my guess anyway. So hopefully the FFL is not on the hook also.
 

sidestreet

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Nah, you guys haven't figured this out yet? This was just the "Ole Mexico" version of a Bloomberg gun dealer "sting operation". Those guys just "had" their video and sound equipment stolen by some "feelty Yankee pigs", thats all, probably by that "Psycho Sergeant" from Missouri. You know, the one that wanted the kid to "show (him) some more attitude"? I guess Missouri (or is it "Misery"?)really is the "Show Me" state. ;)
 
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