Buying guns for the Zetas

Houston Chronicle:

A Houston windshield repairman has admitted to helping manage a part of a broader conspiracy to traffic more than 300 military-style weapons across the border, part of a plea deal requiring him to tell federal agents about the ring that supplied weapons to Mexico's fearsome Zetas drug cartel.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has taken down more than a dozen U.S. citizens the agency contends purchased weapons to help fuel a protracted war that has taken thousands of lives south of the border.

The latest, and one of the more significant players, was Christian Garza, 26, who admitted in federal court Friday to conspiring to lie to gun dealers about where the weapons were headed.

Garza's background and day job repairing windshields underscore part of the cartel's apparent strategy.

It enlists Americans who are both facing tougher economic times, so they may be tempted by quick cash, and have no felony convictions so they'll pass gun-buying background checks.

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Records on the cases do not explain exactly how the weapons are smuggled into Mexico and into the hands of cartel soldiers.

The ATF contends that due to the large number of gun stores in Houston, and because of the city's proximity to the border, the area remains the prime point of origin for guns recovered in Mexico and traced to the United States. who cautioned that while Garza was a manager, he never actually saw or spoke directly to anyone in the Zetas.

“My man wasn't that far up the food chain, where he'd be the connection to the guys in Mexico,” Williams said.

Three other men who have been charged with Garza remain fugitives.

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The case began in 2007 during a routine inspection of files at Carter's County, a firearms dealer, according to court papers. ATF agents noticed numerous large cash purchases for what the agency considers cartel weapons of choice.

Purchasers were brazen, with thousands of dollars in cash, according to the papers.

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It sounds like the cases are relatively easy to make if the AFT has the resources for checking dealer records. It should be noted that these purchases are just one source of weapons for the cartels. They also buy on the black market and get guns from South and Central America as well as weapons stolen from the Mexican army.