Mexico issues arrest warrants in 'Fast and Furious' gun-trafficking case

A Mexican judge issued seven arrest warrants on Sunday related to a 10-year-old gun trafficking case, including “El Chapo” Guzman and Mexican former top officials.

The arrests are tied to an arms-trafficking scandal that took place from 2009 to 2011, said the attorney general’s office in a statement on Sunday. Three of the targets include renowned drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, former Security Minister Genaro Garcia Luna and former federal police intelligence official Luis Cardenas.

All three men, however, are behind bars in the United States or Mexico. It is unclear whether the Mexican government will try to extradite El Chapo, who is serving a life sentence in the U.S.

Luna Garcia, who was Mexico’s Security Minister from 2006 to 2012, was charged by the U.S. in 2019 with drug trafficking. Mexican judges have issued an extradition request for him.

Cardenas served as Garcia Luna’s right-hand man. He was arrested in Mexico on charges of torture. The U.S. has also accused him of accepting bribes from cartels.

The “Fast and Furious” sting operation was led by the Arizona U.S. attorney’s office and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in an attempt to halt U.S.-Mexico gun trafficking. The scheme allowed criminals to buy firearms illegally in the U.S. and take them to Mexico so they could be tracked and could inform officials about drug cartel operations and locations.

However, many of the guns were lost by the agency. Critics also accused the scheme of contributing to gang killings and murders in Mexico.

The sting operation was exposed in 2010 with the murder of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, who was shot while on a mission in Arizona. Weapons from the “Fast and Furious” operation were found at the death scene.

The death of Terry created tensions between Congress and the Obama administration.

"The Obama administration was heavily criticized for the operation. Former Attorney General Eric Holder was held in contempt by Congress for refusing to turn over documents related to the sting," reported NBC news.

"We have been informed that U.S. authorities have been charged with investigating and holding responsible public officials in that country," said the statement on Sunday from the Mexican attorney general's office.