Weapons Head South, Our Much Needed Drugs Come North!

And it isn't all about the failed FBI sting the media, and NRA extremist types, plenty of cash is made, wants everyone to think it is, this has been going on since the drug wars started in Mexico, guns and more are sent south our much needed drugs come back north!

Guns cross borders illegally, too

20 June 2011 - The weapon used to kill U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Jorge Zapata in February made its way south to Mexico from Dallas. Though the gun was legally purchased, it was smuggled into Mexico, where legal possession of firearms is restricted.

That weapon was only one of thousands deployed in the bloody drug war raging in Mexico, but the illegal flow of arms south rates barely a mention when the topic turns to border security.

State Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, reminded Gov. Rick Perry last week that just as there are two sides to the border, there are also two sides to border security.

In a letter to the governor, Lucio asked that legislation allowing for the Department of Public Safety to establish southbound checkpoints to interdict illegal weapons trafficking be added to the special session agenda. Legislation that would have established southbound checkpoints died during the regular session. The likelihood that Lucio's request will be honored is remote, but it is valid.

"Drug violence in Mexico, fueled in part by smuggled guns and cash, poses a homeland security risk to Texas, creates illicit business opportunities for domestic criminals, and fosters disquiet in Texas communities," Lucio wrote. "According to CNN ... over 70 percent of the 29,284 firearms recovered from crime scenes in Mexico in 2009 and 2010 were traced to the United States. Additionally, millions of dollars in bulk cash is smuggled into Mexico each month from the United States. By disrupting the transfer of smuggled cash and firearms, Texas will be protecting Texans, while aiding Mexico as it battles transnational criminal enterprises."

The senator makes a good point. Interdicting arms and money would put a dent in cartel operations. But in politics, emotion often trumps reason. {continued}