The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports,
A store calling itself Fearless Distributing opened early last year on an out-of-the-way street in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood, offering designer clothes, athletic shoes, jewelry and drug paraphernalia.
Those working behind the counter, however, weren’t interested in selling anything.
They were undercover agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives running a storefront sting aimed at busting criminal operations in the city by purchasing drugs and guns from felons.
But the effort to date has not snared any major dealers or taken down a gang. Instead, it resulted in a string of mistakes and failures, including an ATF military-style machine gun landing on the streets of Milwaukee and the agency having $35,000 in merchandise stolen from its store, a Journal Sentinel investigation has found.
When the 10-month operation was shut down after the burglary, agents and Milwaukee police officers who participated in the sting cleared out the store but left behind a sensitive document that listed names, vehicles and phone numbers of undercover agents.
And the agency remains locked in a battle with the building’s owner, who says he is owed about $15,000 because of utility bills, holes in the walls, broken doors and damage from an overflowing toilet.
The sting resulted in charges being filed against about 30 people, most for low-level drug sales and gun possession counts. But agents had the wrong person in at least three cases. In one, they charged a man who was in prison – as a result of an earlier ATF case – at the time agents said he was selling drugs to them.
Other cases reveal that the agency’s operation was paying such high prices that some defendants bought guns from stores such as Gander Mountain and sold them to the agents for a quick profit. The mistakes by agents are troubling and suggest a lack of planning and oversight, according to veterans of the ATF,
Until 2006, the president had the power to install a director of the firearms bureau without Congressional approval. But under pressure from gun lobbyists, Congress changed the law that year to require Senate confirmation. Since then, the Senate has failed to confirm any nominee by either President George W. Bush or Mr. Obama as senators who support gun rights have used their powers to delay nomination votes; Mr. Jones is the bureau’s fifth acting director since 2006.
Oldtimer said:Years ago the DEA sat up a storefront chemical store- so they could see who was buying precursors for making meth and such...The operated over a year- and was able to track down many drug operations-- but also did so well in their chemical business that they made money....And left the government with the problem that they didn't know what to do with the profit they made- as the government is not set up to make money... :wink:
Yep- poor old ATF is having a rough time-- but they haven't had a Director for 6 years as Congress has refused to confirm one... The Acting Director is also the US Attorney in Minnesota so has had to spend much of his time flying back and forth between Minneapolis and D.C. trying to cover both jobs... And that is not a part time only job...
Mike said:Oldtimer said:Years ago the DEA sat up a storefront chemical store- so they could see who was buying precursors for making meth and such...The operated over a year- and was able to track down many drug operations-- but also did so well in their chemical business that they made money....And left the government with the problem that they didn't know what to do with the profit they made- as the government is not set up to make money... :wink:
Yep- poor old ATF is having a rough time-- but they haven't had a Director for 6 years as Congress has refused to confirm one... The Acting Director is also the US Attorney in Minnesota so has had to spend much of his time flying back and forth between Minneapolis and D.C. trying to cover both jobs... And that is not a part time only job...
THEN WHY DON'T THAT BLACK MUTHA EFFER APPOINT SOMEONE WHO COULD BE CONFIRMED AND SHOW A LITTLE BI PARTISANSHIP!!!!!!!!!
ARE YOU REALLY AS STUPID AS YOU SEEM?