ATF Official's Gun Turns Up At Cartel Gunfight
TUCSON, Ariz. -- A Republican Senator has called for a new investigation into one of the federal agents who oversaw the gunwalking operation known as Operation Fast and Furious.
How did a weapon purchased by a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms official turn up at the scene of a cartel gunbattle in Mexico’s Sinaloa state? That’s what Sen. Charles Grassley has asked the Office of Inspector General to probe.
An ATF gun trace report provided by the senator’s office shows that a military-grade handgun, an FN Herstal 57, was purchased by George Gillett, the ATF’s second-in-command in Phoenix during Fast and Furious. The FN model is sometimes called a "cop killer" because with the right round, it is capable of penetrating body armor.
Gillett's gun was recovered last November near Guamúchil, Sinaloa. Mexican authorities found it the same weekend that they found an AK-47 rifle that was purchased by a Fast and Furious gun buyer, Uriel Patino.
Grassley’s documents show the former ATF supervisor also gave false addresses to the gun dealers he purchased three weapons from. In two cases, he gave the address of the ATF’s office in Phoenix.
