It was big news when actor Sean Penn’s interview of wanted Joaquin Guzman Loera, aka “El Chapo,” leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, helped lead to his capture. But that is not the end of the story.
During the raid, something shocking was discovered at the scene:
What was found was not just any rifle, either.
The .50 caliber rifle was designed to take down helicopters and was one of the 1,400 guns agents lost track of during the government’s failed Fast & Furious gun-running program. The program was supposed to trace guns to Mexican arms cartels in an effort to shut them down.
According to Fox News, taking down helicopters is exactly what El Chapo’s cartel did with the rifle:
‘El Chapo’ would put his guardsmen on hilltops to be on guard for Mexican police helicopters that would fly through valleys conducting raids. The sole purpose of the guardsmen would be to shoot down those helicopters, sources said.
It was one of two .50 caliber rifles found at the scene, but only that one rifle traced back to Fast & Furious.
In 2012, a congressional report on the operation shed light on the focus of then newly-appointed attorney general Eric Holder to “destroy” the cartels, with a specific mention of the Sinaloa cartel. This later gave birth to the gun-running operation.
Do you think that Obama or his administration will get any flack from the mainstream press on this discovery?