Fast & Furious: Congress expanding probe to include grenades


Jim Kouri, Law Enforcement Examiner
September 27, 2011

The U.S. Congress will expand their investigation of Operation Fast and Furious to determine its connection to the smuggling of explosives ordinance into Mexico, a police source in Washington, DC, told the Law Enforcement Examiner on Saturday.

According to the law enforcement source -- who requested anonymity -- besides the firearms and ammunition allowed to "walk" by agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), grenades and explosives may have also been allowed smuggled across the border into Mexico, ending up in the hands of drug cartel members.

Investigators are renewing their probe into a narco-terrorist attack in which 60 people were killed and upwards of 30 were wounded on August 24 when the perpetrators tossed three grenades into a casino in Monterrey, Mexico, the capital of Nuevo Leon.

The incident occurred at the Casino Royale when two males aboard the back of a pickup truck pulled up to an entrance and allegedly tossed the grenades into the building

Between 20 and 30 people were trapped inside the casino because of debris from the grenade blasts, said the U.S. officer who requested anonymity.

A Spanish newspaper, El Diario, claims a video from the scene showed a burned-out building as firefighters made rescue attempts to break the wall of the facade of the casino to release the deadly smoke inside the building.

"In fires, most victims die from smoke inhalation. By the time the actual fire reaches them, they're already dead," said former New York fire marshal Jan Petton.

"It will be difficult to determine if the grenades used in the attack are the same that were allegedly smuggled into Mexico as part of Operation Fast and Furious," said a former NYPD arson & exposives unit detective, Benny Caladonia.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon released a statement upon hearing of the grenade attack: "With deep consternation, I express my solidarity with Nuevo Leon and the victims of this abhorrent act of terror and barbarism."

Mexico's Nuevo Leon been the victim of similar attacks this year. On August 13, four civilians were wounded when an armed group fired two grenades at a jail in the municipality of Apodaca.

In July, gang members sprayed a downtown bar in Monterrey with hundreds of rounds of ammunition killing 20 patrons.

Nuevo Leon, Coahuila and Tamaulipas have witnessed numerous clashes between organized crime groups. The Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas are vying for control of trafficking routes into the United States.

Local authorities aren’t helping in the investigation because “police corruption and police involvement in criminal activity continue to be a problem in Mexico.â€