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Tuesday, April 21, 2015

San Diego: National Guardsmen sold guns to cartel

National Guardsmen accused in arms trafficking conspiracy

In the latest in a series cases involving members, or former members of the US military allegedly involved in arming, or working at the best of drug trafficking organizations, two San Diego men have been indicted.  The DEA and ATF worked together on the sting.

The men were arrested last Wednesday in San Diego, and appeared in U.S District Court the following day.  Jamie Casillas, 22, and Jose Reyes 34, were denied bail, at their initial hearing, in which they pled not guilty.   Reyes is a staff sergeant, and Casillas a specialist, both were assigned to an El Cajon Armory. The two were taken into custody following an 8 month investigation, in which the two are accused of numerous weapons transactions, including automatic weapons.

In August of 2014, an undercover DEA agent, working on a related case, had a meeting with Jamie Casillas.  During the meeting Casillas told the agent he had access to firearms and ammunition, and that he was wiling and able to acquire them for sales to the agent.  Casillas "was told and appeared to believe" that the agent was a member of an unnamed Mexican drug trafficking organization, who was looking to purchase weapons, body armor and ammunition.  The agent informed Casillas that he was ordered to purchase these items at the direction of the cartel.  


Casillas told then agent that he, and another guardsmen were willingly to work with the undercover agent.  The complaint details that Casillas, in the initial meeting offered to sell an Ak-47 assault rifle, a .40 caliber pistol, and 1600 rounds of .223 ammunition.  In a following meeting Casillas sold  the ammunition for $700.

On August 14th, the agent traveled to a mobile home park in El Cajon, were Casillas and his girlfriend resided, and purchased the .40 caliber pistol for $800.  The complaint alleges that Casillas told the agent the pistol had been used 'to do a job in Tijuana', meaning commit a murder or assault.  On September 3rd the men met at Reyes La Mesa home, and purchased the assault rifle for 1,700. 

In the following months Reyes and Casillas would contact the agent, via text message and phone calls, to offer weapons, armor, and ammunition for sale, including two AR-15 assault rifles, purchased in Texas, and driven by Reyes to San Diego.  The men were advised repeatedly that the rifles were being brought to Mexico.  Some of the items included ammunition and trauma plates (body armor) were taken from the Armory in El Cajon, were the men worked.  

Reyes traveled again to Texas to purchase weapons, his movements each time monitored by a attacking device authorized during the investigation by a Magistrate Judge.  In January 2015 he provided the undercover agent with an SKS assault rifle and another AR-15 assault rifle.  In March 2015, two ballistic vests, an AR-15 with a mounted scope and more ammunition.  The two men exchanged numerous texts and calls, including video of weapons, they sold to the undercover agent.  During the March 2015 meet, Casillas claimed he had a 'hot' .45 caliber pistol for sale.  

The men offered to sell a .50 Caliber rifle, this purchase was never conducted, the defendants homes were raided on April 15th 2015, and the rifle wasn't found at either location.  Casillas, after being arrested, agreed to a post miranda interview, where he claimed he was merely a broker for Reyes, and didn't profit from any of the sales.  He also admitted furnishing weapons and ammunition to the man he knew as an arms provider for a Mexican cartel.
  

Reyes and Casillas allegedly profited a total of 13,000 from the sales.  It all seems a bit much to ensnare some low level players, after the cost of the legal proceedings, and investigation, but this has become a standard type of arrest.  It begins the discussion of how much of a threat were these men?  If they had met a legitimate Mexican cartel representative, they would have surely committed the same acts.  But, the didn't.  The guns they sold never reached Mexico.  Now, they were in close enough proximity to an undercover DEA agent that they become a target in an investigation, which indicates they may have found a legit outlet for their guns and munitions, eventually.  


Doubtless, members of the US Military knowingly contributing to the violence and carnage in Mexico cannot be ignored, but, are these type of operations, in which criminal acts are in a sense created, really protect or serve anyone? 


Sources: Los Angeles Times, NBC San Diego, 10news San Diego 



17 comments:

  1. When I was briefly in the California National Guard I heard all kinds of stories of soldiers being on the "take", it was usually the ones that got posted near the border for various tasks to help with border situations. Oh yeah, this doesn't happen in the good ol'USA...Yeah right.

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  2. My Servants Rape The Land - Motörhead

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  3. Now hold on a gosh darn minute here....Do you mean to tell me Mexican-Americans are selling firearms to the Mexican Cartels? I thought it was a conspiracy by the US government to destroy Mexico and not Mexicans selling firearms to Mexicans. No way!! This can't be correct BB. Millie tell me this isn't true!!! Lol!! Anyway back to reality. Listen up people this is how the majority of the weapons, body armor and ammunition get into Mexico from the US. The majority of the weapons are bought from Mexican-Americans by the Mexican Cartels. It's not the CIA, DEA or the ATF trafficking firearms. Get a grip people and start blaming the actual individuals and not the government.

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    1. I live in Chihuahua and I have been reading for years about all the DEA, border patrol, police agents and soldiers that have gone bad and have been dealing with the Mexican cartels from the USA. It is true and not racist to tell you that I see it is easily more than 90% of the time that it is Mexican American agents that are complicit with the cartels or human smugglers. It is very easy to look it up and read the articles. When I see an article I look to see the last name and I just keep seeing Hispanic last names involved. My wife is Mexican as are all my friends. So I do not have a grudge against Mexican people. But it is these Mexican ties that make most of this possible. In most cases even if they are Mexican Americans they still have family in Mexico. I was reading that many Mexican Americans buy and smuggle in 2 to three weapons at a time into Mexico to make extra money. They feel more comfortable doing business with someone of their own ethnicity.

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    2. Idiots don't know what you are talking about. The sheer number of weapons in Mexico from the United States would take more than just some Mexican-Americans purchasing them.

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    3. 12:32pm you are the idiot. Take these two dummies and multiply it by a thousand and that's a more accurate count of how many people are dealing guns. I live four hours from the border and I can name at least a dozen guys who are Mexican and who are selling guns to be sent Mexico. Think of the Gun trafficking numbers in The RGV, El Paso, Del Rio, Sourthen, California, Southern Arizona and New Mexico. These two guys made $13,000 off of gun and ammo sales. Just think about the traffickers not getting caught.

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    4. To Anonymous April 22, 2015 at 3:39 PM
      I think your the idiot! Like you say take these 2 dummies & multiply it by a thousand. That does not compare to lacks gun laws in the US & especially in the 4 border states which allow any mother to buy a gun. (Thanks NRA you helped kill Mexicans & Americans)The gun manufactures/NRA/US Govt are the real gun traffickers. Have you forgotten about Sandy Hook how many white American kids were slaughtered/mangled but they did not show those picture on the news NO! because Americans would shit them self's & requests new gun laws. I can't forget about all the American criminals/gangs/bikers/ETC! of all ethnic groups who also traffic guns in to Mexico. But I'm sure gun laws here in the US won't change anytime soon thanks to the gun manufactures/NRA/US govt & Americans who like to play dress up/rambo.

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  4. Sooner or later its going to be the entire DEA and the ATF force working for the cartels on the U.S, side there their will be less bust because the whole organizations will soon be corrupted just like mexico government agents.

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  5. Its sad to see how the govt baited these guys for a cheap headline

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  6. I'm sorry but I have a problem with these cases in the US recently of people being trapped and coerced into taking the bait of a federal agent. The article makes a good point when it states that IF these agents were actually cartel members this would've done some damage, however these cases are all too often reliant upon an "IF" assumption and an over-reaching and increasingly desperate federal government. These resources should be used to infiltrate ACTUAL cartel weapon smuggling operations and not into creating fake ones only to "take them down" and charge everyone who had the unfortunate luck of running into these sorry fucks.

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    1. these nitwits were selling "hot" guns used in shootings in mexico! they knew what they were doing. it should serve as a deterrent to ALL law enforcers/army officials NOT to sell wepons! jesus,its simple

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    2. To April 21, 2015 at 6:45 PM
      Your so right the US govt is using greedy/poor/uneducated people w/mental disorders. To make the rest of America feel safe & wrapped in their blanket. Not to forget if they don't show any result their budget goes down! So they have to entrap stupid people it's the same w/terrorism how many fake plots have been stopped thanks to fake FBI stings.

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  7. Very true Couldn't have said it better so well i guess that these guys are caught countries cartel problem are over?

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  8. Desde David a Mexican ciudadano.
    Nobody sticks a gun to the head of corrupted CBP, military, cops, or others who profit from doing business with carteleros. These guys want to make money. The fact that they speak Spanish and perhaps have relatives or friends down here makes things easier. Be their name Svenson, with blond hair and blue eyes, or Kelly with black hair and green eyes if they are corrupt they are corrupt. There are many tens of millions of us who you could not fucking pay to help buy or sell armas de fuego ni drogas - got it? We do no use drugs, we do not let ourselves be present around drugs, we teach or children of the evil ways that people who deal in drugs screw honest people.
    Los Chingados, this is how we see ourselves. We are beneath the thumb of corrupt police and beneath the fist of sicarios and halcones with big ears and bigger mouths.
    The tens of billions of dolares that come here feeds the fires of the infiernillo. That is the whole, the complete, and the total problem. With this evil money arms and military equipment gets purchased. Strike two and three in beisbal. The evil is fed from the north. Keep sending tonaladas de dinero to Mexico. Pretty soon the violence is going to go north and burn your ass. Then you will be getting tocas on your door demanding piso o plomo.

    Desde Mexico

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  9. lets arrest the guys who are trying to make peanuts selling few guns , but lets pardon the attorney general for allowing 2500-3000 guns to cross the border into hands of criminals...way to go atf , saving the world one day at a time

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  10. Gente deL mono in east county San Diego

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  11. The DEA & ATF are running nothing but ENTRAPMENT'S/STINGS to see who can and will sell to criminals. There statistics are all base on fake entrapment's/stings situations they are creating. You got love this fake as DRUG WAR started by the USA and they are the ones profiting from this fake ass war on drugs.

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