Mexican Officers Arrested at Gun Show
Mexican Officers Arrested at Gun Show
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
PHOENIX - Three high-ranking Mexican police officers were arrested on allegations of buying weapons and ammunition at a gun show in Phoenix in violation of a law barring noncitizens from purchasing firearms, a U.S. official said Wednesday.
The three had crossed the border at Calexico, Calif., in an official police vehicle and driven to Phoenix, said Tom Mangan, a spokesman with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Police and federal agents arrested them after the three bought three guns and about 450 rounds of ammunition Saturday at the gun show, Mangan said.
It appeared the officers were buying the handguns for their personal use, he said.
Booked on state weapons misconduct and conspiracy were Carlos Alberto Flores, 36, a Baja California state police director; Baja State Police Commander Guillermo Valle Medina, 33; and Jose Santos Cortes Gonzalez, 41, a federal police commander in Baja California.
Flores and Cortes posted $2,000 bond each and were released from jail, and Valle was released on personal recognizance, Mangan said.
A woman who answered the telephone in Flores' office in La Paz said he was still in charge but not in the office or available for comment. Alejandra Borquez, a spokeswoman for the Mexican state's Office of Public Safety, said she had not heard of the arrests.
Local police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents monitoring the gun show overheard Gonzalez negotiating with a dealer for two guns, then watched as he bought them, according to a police report. Gonzalez and Flores met up with Valle and continued buying ammunition and gun supplies before leaving, the report states.
Police stopped their vehicle after they left the gun show, according to the report.
Mangan said Mexican officials have been pressuring U.S. officials to cut off the supply of weapons going south.
"It is ironic we are receiving a great deal of criticism regarding our efforts to stem the tide of illegal weapons, and then we have three law enforcement officers trying to buy weapons here," Mangan said.
Licensed dealers in Arizona must check identification documents and run background checks, but private sellers operate without those rules.
The guns were bought from a private seller, Mangan said.
___
Associated Press writer Olga Rodriguez in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
FOXNEWS
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
PHOENIX - Three high-ranking Mexican police officers were arrested on allegations of buying weapons and ammunition at a gun show in Phoenix in violation of a law barring noncitizens from purchasing firearms, a U.S. official said Wednesday.
The three had crossed the border at Calexico, Calif., in an official police vehicle and driven to Phoenix, said Tom Mangan, a spokesman with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Police and federal agents arrested them after the three bought three guns and about 450 rounds of ammunition Saturday at the gun show, Mangan said.
It appeared the officers were buying the handguns for their personal use, he said.
Booked on state weapons misconduct and conspiracy were Carlos Alberto Flores, 36, a Baja California state police director; Baja State Police Commander Guillermo Valle Medina, 33; and Jose Santos Cortes Gonzalez, 41, a federal police commander in Baja California.
Flores and Cortes posted $2,000 bond each and were released from jail, and Valle was released on personal recognizance, Mangan said.
A woman who answered the telephone in Flores' office in La Paz said he was still in charge but not in the office or available for comment. Alejandra Borquez, a spokeswoman for the Mexican state's Office of Public Safety, said she had not heard of the arrests.
Local police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents monitoring the gun show overheard Gonzalez negotiating with a dealer for two guns, then watched as he bought them, according to a police report. Gonzalez and Flores met up with Valle and continued buying ammunition and gun supplies before leaving, the report states.
Police stopped their vehicle after they left the gun show, according to the report.
Mangan said Mexican officials have been pressuring U.S. officials to cut off the supply of weapons going south.
"It is ironic we are receiving a great deal of criticism regarding our efforts to stem the tide of illegal weapons, and then we have three law enforcement officers trying to buy weapons here," Mangan said.
Licensed dealers in Arizona must check identification documents and run background checks, but private sellers operate without those rules.
The guns were bought from a private seller, Mangan said.
___
Associated Press writer Olga Rodriguez in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
FOXNEWS
0
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Since when can't "noncitizens" buy firearms? Sounds like anti-immigrant BS-propaganda to me. 0 -
I say we keep our guns, but fling some lead their way.[;)][8D] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Gunners762
Mexican Officers Arrested at Gun Show
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
PHOENIX - Three high-ranking Mexican police officers were arrested on allegations of buying weapons and ammunition at a gun show in Phoenix in violation of a law barring noncitizens from purchasing firearms, a U.S. official said Wednesday.
The three had crossed the border at Calexico, Calif., in an official police vehicle and driven to Phoenix, said Tom Mangan, a spokesman with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Police and federal agents arrested them after the three bought three guns and about 450 rounds of ammunition Saturday at the gun show, Mangan said.
It appeared the officers were buying the handguns for their personal use, he said.
Booked on state weapons misconduct and conspiracy were Carlos Alberto Flores, 36, a Baja California state police director; Baja State Police Commander Guillermo Valle Medina, 33; and Jose Santos Cortes Gonzalez, 41, a federal police commander in Baja California.
Flores and Cortes posted $2,000 bond each and were released from jail, and Valle was released on personal recognizance, Mangan said.
A woman who answered the telephone in Flores' office in La Paz said he was still in charge but not in the office or available for comment. Alejandra Borquez, a spokeswoman for the Mexican state's Office of Public Safety, said she had not heard of the arrests.
Local police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents monitoring the gun show overheard Gonzalez negotiating with a dealer for two guns, then watched as he bought them, according to a police report. Gonzalez and Flores met up with Valle and continued buying ammunition and gun supplies before leaving, the report states.
Police stopped their vehicle after they left the gun show, according to the report.
Mangan said Mexican officials have been pressuring U.S. officials to cut off the supply of weapons going south.
"It is ironic we are receiving a great deal of criticism regarding our efforts to stem the tide of illegal weapons, and then we have three law enforcement officers trying to buy weapons here," Mangan said.
Licensed dealers in Arizona must check identification documents and run background checks, but private sellers operate without those rules.
The guns were bought from a private seller, Mangan said.
___
Associated Press writer Olga Rodriguez in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
FOXNEWS
$100 says they never show up for court![:(][:(][:(][:(]0 -
Sneaky- you do not have to be a citizen. If not a permanent resident, must meet some other requirements- but no, you do not have to be a citizen. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by 11b6r
Sneaky- you do not have to be a citizen. If not a permanent resident, must meet some other requirements- but no, you do not have to be a citizen.
I wasn't really asking as if I didn't know, the word "since" should have been the indicator of it. I am saying that if the story is true it's lacking some major chunk of information with a very strong anti-immigration, anti-mexican slant.0 -
One has to be a resisdent of the US, or an "Immigrant Alien" with a "green card" (actually a Resident Alien Card with an "A" number), and if purchasing a firearm must show 90 days residency.
"High Ranking Mexican Police Officials", you can guaran-damn-tee it, have neither AZ DLs or 3 months worth of cable bills.
Word around here is that they purchased from a "private seller" at the show. Technically, the private seller is not required to check ID or run background checks.
BUT JUST YOU WATCH, this will be the impetus for more "close the gun show loophole" crap, even tho these POLICE-Tonks came across the border and conspired to break the Law.
I bet they were allowed to leave the country, even though it is typical Rules of Criminal Procedure that one is not allowed to leave the country if under indicment on a Felony.
I wonder which toad at the State Dept. is handling their defense, or whether State will "help" the AUSA see that the case is unwinnable and the charges quietly be dropped.
D.0 -
quote:Originally posted by spryor
I say we keep our guns, but fling some lead their way.[;)][8D]
[^][^][^]
And I will bet, with the Mexican LE corruption they would have ended up on the black market further Fueling the Dems anti-gun agenda here on the west coast.0 -
quote:Originally posted by git_r_done
quote:Originally posted by Gunners762
Mexican Officers Arrested at Gun Show
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
PHOENIX - Three high-ranking Mexican police officers were arrested on allegations of buying weapons and ammunition at a gun show in Phoenix in violation of a law barring noncitizens from purchasing firearms, a U.S. official said Wednesday.
The three had crossed the border at Calexico, Calif., in an official police vehicle and driven to Phoenix, said Tom Mangan, a spokesman with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Police and federal agents arrested them after the three bought three guns and about 450 rounds of ammunition Saturday at the gun show, Mangan said.
It appeared the officers were buying the handguns for their personal use, he said.
Booked on state weapons misconduct and conspiracy were Carlos Alberto Flores, 36, a Baja California state police director; Baja State Police Commander Guillermo Valle Medina, 33; and Jose Santos Cortes Gonzalez, 41, a federal police commander in Baja California.
Flores and Cortes posted $2,000 bond each and were released from jail, and Valle was released on personal recognizance, Mangan said.
A woman who answered the telephone in Flores' office in La Paz said he was still in charge but not in the office or available for comment. Alejandra Borquez, a spokeswoman for the Mexican state's Office of Public Safety, said she had not heard of the arrests.
Local police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents monitoring the gun show overheard Gonzalez negotiating with a dealer for two guns, then watched as he bought them, according to a police report. Gonzalez and Flores met up with Valle and continued buying ammunition and gun supplies before leaving, the report states.
Police stopped their vehicle after they left the gun show, according to the report.
Mangan said Mexican officials have been pressuring U.S. officials to cut off the supply of weapons going south.
"It is ironic we are receiving a great deal of criticism regarding our efforts to stem the tide of illegal weapons, and then we have three law enforcement officers trying to buy weapons here," Mangan said.
Licensed dealers in Arizona must check identification documents and run background checks, but private sellers operate without those rules.
The guns were bought from a private seller, Mangan said.
___
Associated Press writer Olga Rodriguez in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
FOXNEWS
$100 says they never show up for court![:(][:(][:(][:(]
I am NOT taking that bet.0 -
Here in Florida a 'PRIVATE" seller must check ID when selling a gun. Selling a gun to a non resident is a crime. Know a guy doing time for selling a gun to a guy from New Jersey. 0
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