LAS VEGAS -- Guns purchased in southern Nevada are helping to arm a bloody drug-war in Mexico. And soon, local agents combating the threat will get some additional manpower.
According to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the majority of guns seized at organized crime scenes in Mexico and traced, tie back to U.S. retailers. Some from Las Vegas.
To stem the increasing flow of firearms south, the local office of the ATF will soon get a new team to specifically target gun runners.
In the last two years, local ATF agents have tracked hundreds of guns bound for Mexico. Some they seized, while others that entered the pipeline.
Take the case involving Johnathan and William Weiss -- two California brothers now serving prison time for a scheme to buy guns locally to trafficked to Mexico, where the firearms fetch up to three times their purchase price.
Resident Agent in Charge Tom Chittum says additional resources in southern Nevada will help to disrupt the supply chain nationwide.
"Southwest border issues don't only impact southwest border states. Some internal areas of the U.S. also impact it. Southern Nevada is one of them. We've had a history of firearms trafficking schemes originating in Las Vegas," he said.
Chittum explains Nevada's proximity to the border states, an easy one-day drive in most cases, makes it an attractive source for smugglers. Others point to our state's comparatively liberal gun laws.
The added manpower, according to the ATF, will come from a recent multi-million dollar appropriation for border security. In addition to Las Vegas, it will fund Project Gunrunner teams in six others cities, like Atlanta, Miami and Oklahoma City.
