18 GUNS HARDLY ACCOUNT FOR THE THOUSANDS OF MILITARY-STYLE GUNS IN THE HANDS OF THE CARTELS

If the feds catch a hundred of such straw buyer groups, the guns bought would still constitute only a drop in the bucket compared to the thousands of guns acquired by the Mexican drug cartels. I think that, if anything, this proves most of the cartel guns did not come from Texas and Arizona gun dealers, as claimed by the Mexican government, the U.S. State Department, the ATF and the FBI.

FEDS HIT SAN ANTONIO GROUP ACCUSED OF BUYING GUNS FOR CARTEL
By Guillermo Contreras

San Antonio Express News
February 6, 2012

More than a dozen San Antonio-area residents have been arrested on charges that they bought high-powered tactical rifles for the Zetas in Mexico.

Federal agents were still hauling some of the defendants into federal court in San Antonio this week after obtaining federal indictments in Del Rio.

Thirteen were in custody Monday, charged with making false statements during the purchase of a firearm and/or aiding and abetting the smuggling of goods from the United States, records show.

The indictments said the defendants bought M4s and DTI-15s, both rifles of 5.56-caliber whose primary target audience is current and former military members, according to several ads on the Internet. It was not immediately clear if any of the defendants had military backgrounds, but records say they are accused of buying a total of 18 of the rifles at gun stores in San Antonio beginning Oct. 11.

Most are alleged “straw buyers” – U.S. residents with clean backgrounds accused of buying the guns for someone else. One of them, Salvador Martinezage unavailable, is accused of being a facilitator because he obtained four DTI-15 rifles despite having no legal immigration status in the U.S. and having a domestic violence conviction.

Also charged are Abigail Sabrina Treviño, 22; Wayne R. Dixon, 53; Rey David De La O-Rodriguez, age unavailable; Jasmine Leeann Gordo, 22; Frank Hernandez, age unavailable; Louis Christopher Martinez, 24; Jessica Marie Cortes, 22; Patricio Nova, 32; Amanda Lopez, age unavailable; Denise Ordaz, 19; Elisa Hernandez Ramirez, 24, of Devine; and Jonathan Paul Barrera, 28 of Del Rio.