Former US firearms investigator illegally trafficked guns to Mexico, government document alleges

[Judi Lynn]

By Sarah Kinosian and Laura Gottesdiener
October 20, 202312:00 PM CDT Updated 14 min ago

A former investigator for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is accused of smuggling guns into Mexico while employed by the agency in 2017, according to a letter sent to ATF's head this week by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley.


MONTERREY, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Jose Luis Meneses, a Mexican national who worked as an investigator for ATF at the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, admitted to buying firearm parts online and at a California gun store and trafficking them into Mexico for profit back in 2017, according to the letter and an ATF memo from the time obtained by Reuters.

The case has not been previously reported.

The trafficking of U.S. weapons south across the border is a top diplomatic issue in Mexico. Mexican officials accuse their American counterparts of not doing enough to stanch the illegal flow of these guns, which they say help arm drug cartels and contribute to the country's high homicide rate.

Nearly 70% of traced firearms used to commit crimes and seized in Mexico come from the United States, according to ATF.

The Grassley letter dated Oct. 18, which cites the 2017 ATF memo and information described as "whistleblower disclosures," accused the agency of not conducting a full investigation into the matter.

More:
https://www.reuters.com/world/former-us-firearms-investigator-illegally-trafficked-guns-mexico-govt-doc-2023-10-20/

[Judi Lynn]

1. ATF Investigator Smuggled Weapons into Mexico

By Socalj 10/20/2023 10:39:00 PM
"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

A former investigator with the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) is accused of trafficking weapons to Mexico while he was an employee of the bureau in 2017, according to a letter sent to the ATF Director this week by US Senator Charles Grassley.

José Luis Meneses, a Mexican citizen who worked as an investigator for the ATF at the US consulate in Tijuana, BC, Mexico admitted to purchasing firearm parts online as well as at a California gun store and trafficking them to Mexico for the purposes of profit in 2017, according to the letter and a then-agency memo obtained by Reuters. The case has not been reported previously.

The Grassley letter dated Oct. 18, 2023, cites the 2017 ATF memo and information described as “whistleblower disclosures,” accusing the agency of not conducting a full investigation into the matter.
“If these protected disclosures are true and accurate, they illustrate a failure by the ATF to hold its employees accountable for criminal misconduct.”

Grassley’s letter also raised questions about how much information US officials told their Mexican counterparts about the allegations of gun smuggling by the ATF employee, a point that could stoke tensions between the two countries.

More:
https://www.borderlandbeat.com/2023/10/an-atf-investigator-smuggled-weapons.html