Mexican Corruption Comes To The U.S.

It comes as no surprise that there re many, many crooked politicians in Mexico, especially those in cities close to the U.S. border.
Well, now a mayor, police chief and others have been indicted for smuggling guns into Mexico.
From the El Paso Times: A police chief, a mayor, a village trustee and eight others, including a Mexican citizen, have been indicted for allegedly trafficking firearms in Doña Ana and Luna counties to Mexico, U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced Thursday.
Columbus Chief of Police Angelo Vega, Columbus Mayor Eddie Espinoza and Village Trustee Blas Gutierrez are three the 11 defendants charged in the 84-count federal indictment, which was unsealed Thursday afternoon after two-county raids that began in the early hours Thursday.
"Gutierrez, Espinoza and Vega were duty sworn to protect and safeguard the people of Columbus, N.M.," said Gonzales, in announcing the indictment Thursday. "Instead, they increased the risk of harm that the people of Columbus face every day by allegedly using their official positions to facilitate and safeguard the operations of a smuggling ring that was exporting firearms to Mexico. Today's indictment reflects our unwavering resolve to ensure safety along our Southwest border and to expose and prosecute corrupt officials who seek to profit at the expense of the citizenry they are sworn to protect."...
Between January 2010 and March of this year, the defendants allegedly conspired to purchase firearms for illegal export to Mexico, according to the indictment.
About 200 firearms - AK-47-type pistols - weapons resembling shortened AK-47 rifles - and American Tactical 9 mm caliber pistols, all firearms favored by Mexican drug cartels - were allegedly purchased from Chaparral Guns in Chaparral, N.M., owned and operated by defendant Ian Garland. The purchasers were allegedly "straw purchasers," buying the guns on behalf of others.
Law enforcement officers have seized 40 AK-47-type pistols, 1,580 rounds of 7.62 ammunition and 30 high-capacity magazines from the defendants before they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. No weapons were knowingly permitted to cross the border, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, but 12 firearms later found in Mexico were allegedly traced back to purchase by the defendants, according to the indictment.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_17587799?source=pkg
One hopes this is a one time thing but I have my doubts. The border with Mexico is long and there are a lot of city officials and police officers that can be bribed by the drug cartels, just like in Mexico.
This is just another sign, in a long list of signs, that we are losing the battle over the Mexican border.