ATF’s #2 Says Agency Mistakenly Used Drug Strategy in Operation Fast and Furious
The number two person at ATF says a key mistake in the controversial Operation Fast and Furious was that “a narcotics based strategy was applied to a firearms trafficking investigation.”
Tom Brandon, who stepped in last October as ATF’s deputy director as part of an effort to clean house after the failed Operation Fast and Furious came to the public’s attention, explained that while drug agents sometimes let drugs and money walk to further an investigation, it’s not good to do the same for gun probes.
“When you use that in firearms, that’s not good,” he said during an interview on the radio show “The Badge” with Howard Safir.
He said people in management at the Phoenix ATF office had good intentions when they launched the operation, but “their decisions were bad.”
Fast and Furious encouraged Arizona gun dealers to sell to straw purchasers, all with the hopes of tracing the guns to the Mexican cartels. ATF lost track of many of the guns, some of which surfaced at crime scenes on both sides of the border including one involving the murder in Arizona of U.S. Border agent Brian Terry.
“We made mistakes and we’re owning up to them,” he said of the operation.
Reader Responses
I am Mike Grimes, DEA retired, and a frequent reader of Tickle the Wire.
Tom Brandon at ATF is very misinformed about DEA’s policy on allowing drugs to “walk.” He makes it sound as though it is an every day occurrence. This is not the case. Yes, DEA will occasionally allow (the taxpayers’) money to walk. Money, as it exists, is not dangerous.
Yes, DEA will occasionally allow a very small drug sample to walk for testing purposes, not for use or distribution. DEA allowing a drug sample to walk is a rare occurrence because of the liability potential.
Mr. Brandon needs to find another avenue to deflect ATF’s foolish operational standard.
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Comment from BobbyT7 | [e]
Time March 6, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Mike Grimes tells it like it is. I was assigned to a DEA group for several years and participated in dozens of undercover buys. I doubt the group let even a total of an ounce walk in those years.
I retired from the former USINS and was a border patrol agent for ten years, prior to my USINS special agent experience.
The part I don’t understand is how Fast & Furious got through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) process??? This is a major DOJ program in the criminal division. It requires review and approval by all of the member agencies of OCDETF, which includes ATF, DEA, FBI, ICE, IRS/CID and the U.S. Marshall Service. How could anyone sign off on such an operational proposal, much less experienced agents of all of these federal agencies, plus numerous federal prosecutors that review ALL proposals.
Did the operational plan come from the top (very high political level) down, so it didn’t matter what was written in the proposal??? Was there ever a proposal written???
ICE had an agent assigned directly to the ATF group that conducted Fast & Furious, what was he reporting through his chain of command???
Who decided to NOT tell the Mexicans??? Not some civil servant, I can certainly assure you.
Who decided not to tell the U.S. Department of State, our embassy etc…???
Posted: March 5th, 2012 under FBI, News Story.
Tags: ATF, firearms trafficking, operation fast and furious, tom brandon
Comments: 3