Congressman says Mexico has lost trust in U.S. after secret DEA operations

In an interview with the Spanish language Univision network, Rep. Darrell Issa (R. Calif.), chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, says it will be "very difficult" for Mexico to trust the United States again after the recent disclosure of secret arms sales programs and money laundering operations conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

"The (U.S.) government lied about Fast and Furious, and it would appear it lied about the laundering (of drug cartel profits)," said Issa. He told Univision that the programs had harmed the relationship between the two countries as they struggle against narcotics traffickers and cartels.

"That's what worries me, in the future there just won't be that confidence that we need in this war against drugs and against the cartels, that (mutual trust) we need to end all of the killing," said Issa during the interview.

In October Issa said that at least 200 persons have been killed by weapons which the DEA allowed to be sold to Mexican drug cartels. The secret operation began in 2009 but came to a quick halt in January 2011, after it became public. In the interim over 2,000 military assault weapons were sold in the United States to straw purchasers working for the cartels, with the full knowledge of federal agents. Most of the sales occurred in southern Arizona, near the border. The director of the DEA and the U.S. Attorney for Arizona were forced to resign over the scandal earlier this year. http://mexicogulfreporter-supplement.blogspot.com/2011/11/two-us-officials-quit-over-fast-and.html.

The weapons were embedded with microchip tracking devices. The DEA plan was to track Mexican cartels and the weapons they used, of which about 1,400 remain unaccounted for. The U.S. government has admitted that during the administration of George W. Bush, another federal agency, Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco, used an almost identical program called Wide Receiver. It is unknown how many weapons were sold to Mexican drug traffickers under the ATF program. In internal documents ATF agents referred to firearms sold during Wide Receiver as "weapons gone walking." Both president Obama and his Attorney General, Eric Holder, have denied knowing about either program until Fast and Furious was exposed in January. But congressional Republicans point to documents suggesting that Holder must have known by October 2010, and perhaps as early as July.

"These were weapons that our government permitted to pass (into the hands of criminals)," said Issa in a public statement earlier this year.

Both Fast and Furious and Wide Receiver, which was in operation from 2006 to 2007, are the subjects of pending criminal investigations and are expected to result in indictments. President Obama has said that those responsible will be held accountable. The Mexican government has expressed dismay over the arms sales.

Issa's House committee is investigating the programs, as well as a recent New York Times report that DEA agents launder hundreds of millions of dollars annually for Mexican drug cartels, in an effort to track the dirty money (http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/12/us-agents-help-mexican-drug-cartels.html). Mexico has said it knew nothing of the money washing operation until the Times disclosure, disputing Justice Department suggestions to the contrary. http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/12/mexico-says-it-had-no-knowledge-of-dea.html.

Issa told Univision that after Fast and Furious, Mexico now understands that the DEA "would lie" about some operations. "They're going to distort the truth," he said, and "it's very difficult not to believe that they're twisting the truth (with the money laundering), just as they did with Fast and Furious." Issa said his committee would continue with an investigation of the money laundering program. http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/12/congress-to-investigate-dea-drug-money.html.

Mexico has not commented on Issa's statements.

Este reporte en español: http://www.sipse.com/noticias/136366--mintio-mexico-sobre-rapido-furioso-lavado-dinero.html

Fast and Furious; Wide Receiver:
http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/12/eric-holder-repeats-mea-culpa-to-house.html;
http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/10/at-least-200-died-from-fast-and-furious.html;
and: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/10/can-guns-really-walk-from-us-to-mexico.html;
and: http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/10/us-attorney-general-in-cross-hairs-over.html;
and: ; http://mexicogulfreporter.blogspot.com/2011/10/obama-will-stand-by-his-man-even-though.html.