To give guns to criminal organizations was questioned during the operations by a number of people, including ATF field agents and cooperating licensed gun dealers. During Operation Fast and Furious, the largest "gunwalking" probe, the ATF monitored the sale of about 2,000[1]:203[15] firearms, of which only 710 were recovered as of February 2012. None of the targeted high-level cartel figures had been arrested.[6]
Guns tracked by the ATF have been found at crime scenes on both sides of the Mexico–United States border, and the scene where United States Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed in December 2010. The .
"gunwalking" operations became public in the aftermath of Terry's murder.[2] Dissenting ATF agents came forward to Congress in response.
According to former Mexican Attorney General related firearms have been found at numerous crime scenes in Mexico where at least 150 Mexican civilians were maimed or killed.[17] Revelations of "gunwalking" diplomatic relations were damaged.[2]
Was that a high crimes and misdemeanor?