Operation Fast and Furious

Fronteras Desk Senior Field Correspondent Michel Marizco has been covering Operation Fast and Furious -- the gunwalking scandal in Southern Arizona -- since the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in 2010. Here is an overview of the work done by Marizco and other Fronteras Desk reporters.

Untangling Operation Fast And Furious

On a cold December night in 2010, a Border Patrol agent was shot and killed along the U.S.-Mexican border in southern Arizona. His murder exposed a government operation known as Fast and Furious that’s become a major scandal.

8/10/12Read more

Congressional Hearings

Congress: ATF Hiding Evidence In "Fast & Furious" Gun Running Investigations

Agents from the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms testified they tried to stop the gun walking program.

6/17/11Read more

ATF Testimony On Fast & Furious Scandal Frustrates Congress

ATF leaders appeared before Congress Tuesday morning during a hearing into Operation Fast and Furious. A report details how dozens of weapons were found linked to crimes in Mexico. The leaders avoided hard questions as to who was ultimately is responsible for the scandal.

7/27/11Read more

Issa Subpoenas Justice Department Over 'Operation Fast And Furious'

The House's main investigative committee has subpoenaed Attorney General Eric Holder and other Justice Department officials, seeking records from a law enforcement operation gone wrong that resulted in high-powered weapons flowing into Mexico.

10/12/11Read more

Congress Scrutinizes Fed Gun Walking Programs; Grills Atty General

Attorney General Eric Holder dismissed criticism of the Justice Dept. and said the Fast & Furious scandal should not be politicized.

While admitting allowing high-powered weapons to enter Mexico was a mistake, Attorney General Eric Holder refused to resign and asked Congress to help his agency by enacting new gun regulations.

12/9/11Read more

Slain Agent Honored On Eve Of Fast And Furious Report Release

The long-awaited Inspector General report on the gunwalking scandal known as Operation Fast and Furious is expected to be issued Wednesday.

9/19/12Read more

Arizona-based Officials Implicated In 'Fast And Furious' Report

The DOJ watchdog's report placed much of the blame for the botched gun walking operation on Phoenix-based personnel with ATF and the U.S. Attorney's Office.

9/20/12Read more

Government Involvement

Fast And Furious Gunbuyer Pleads Guilty

Gunwalking suspect pleads guilty to weapons charges, but none involving the murder of Border Patrol agent.

4/5/12Read more

Source: Gun Walking To Mexico Known Outside Of ATF

An ex-federal law enforcement agent says other agencies stopped gun shipments linked to Operation Fast & Furious. When they questioned it, they were told Arizona's U.S. Attorney was aware of it.

DEA wiretaps provided enough evidence to arrest gun buyers as early as 2009, but the ATF wanted to build their own case instead of sharing the arrests with the DEA, according to a Congressional report.

2/6/12Read more

Emails Indicate Justice Dept. Tried To Conceal Gun Walking Operations

Sen. Chuck Grassley's office released the correspondence about the ATF led Operations Fast & Furious and Wide Receiver.

Some of the emails suggest the Department of Justice wanted to minimize the amount of information about the gun walking programs that would be made public.

12/6/11Read more

Emails Show D.C. Officials Knew Of Border Gun Running Program

An April 2010 email states: “ATF let a bunch of guns walk in effort to get upstream conspirators but only got straws and didn’t recover many guns.”

11/1/11Read more

Records: Feds Have A History Of Gun Walking Programs

"Operation Wide Receiver" used some of the same tactics as the infamous "Operation Fast and Furious": Buyers purchased weapons in the U.S. and delivered them to Mexico, according to court records. Only nine people have been charged; it is unknown how many have been hurt.

10/26/11Read more

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