Classified government files shared with a group of Senate investigators have unveiled fresh insights into a covert intelligence initiative that effectively disrupted U.S. arms smuggling operations into Mexico before being abruptly terminated in the fiscal year 2022.
Revelations from whistleblowers received by Sen. Chuck Grassley's office have validated and elaborated on the existence and triumph of Project Thor, back in September.
The new records, exclusively acquired by CBS News, were dispatched by Grassley to nine federal law enforcement agencies under the jurisdictions of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, State, and Postal Service. They were accompanied by a series of strongly-worded missives urging each department to reveal information about Thor's activities — a program that the Biden administration has not yet publicly recognized — and all ongoing endeavors to combat firearms trafficking networks linked to cartels in the U.S. and nearby nations.
"The citizens of this country have the right to be informed about the Biden administration's approach...to combat cartel-linked firearms networks in the United States," Grassley stated, raising doubts about the level of dedication the U.S. government has shown in blocking the influx of American weapons into cartel hands.
The FBI and State Department declined to comment. The Postal Service confirmed that they were reviewing the letter and "will be providing a response directly to the Senator." No other agency immediately responded to CBS News.
Grassley's newly-released documents make public, for the first time, internal charts detailing how intricate networks of traffickers across the U.S. smuggle firearms and ammunition across the southwest border into Mexico and the hands of drug cartels, including depictions of actual narco weapons trafficking routes. They noted the problem was enabled by the U.S. having no limit on how much ammunition a person can buy in bulk while the U.S. government's capability to inspect people traveling southbound into Mexico was "extremely limited".
This follows a CBS News investigation that revealed that Mexican drug cartels have been smuggling a vast arsenal of military-grade weapons out of the U.S. with the help of American citizens, including belt-fed miniguns and grenade launchers. Intelligence documents and interviews with half a dozen current and former officials showed that the U.S. government has known this for years but, sources said, it's done little to stop these weapons trafficking networks inside the United States, which move up to a million firearms across the border annually.
The latest disclosures are part of an investigation initiated by Grassley in October, aiming to uncover the reasons behind the termination of an interagency intelligence initiative while simultaneously commending its effectiveness.
Responding to three oversight requests, the ATF handed over more than 700 pages of heavily redacted government records that were exclusively examined by CBS News.
"ATF is resolute in its dedication to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling firearms trafficking networks—including those supplying illegal firearms to Mexican cartels and other transnational criminal and terrorist organizations," stated Ann Vallandignham, ATF Assistant Director for Public and Government Affairs, on January 5. Although the documents shed light on some aspects of Project Thor's internal operations, they did not fully address the investigators' inquiries.
"Prior to Thor, there was no concentrated effort on this issue," as indicated in a law enforcement sensitive PowerPoint presentation disclosed by Senator Grassley on Thursday, estimating that cartels smuggled up to $503 million worth of weapons and ammunition annually. The documents unveiled that during its active period, Project Thor "assisted 76 cartel trafficking cases between 2018 and 2020" and "identified the majority of the main CJNG weapons trafficking networks," in reference to one of Mexico's most significant and dangerous cartels.
The Justice Department officials have consistently refused to discuss Project Thor or its discoveries, asserting that they were "unfamiliar" with it — a statement that Grassley found "unexpected" as it seemed to conflict with internal agency communications provided to his team of investigators. For instance, one document mentioned that Project Thor included over 16 executive branch agencies such as "Main DOJ," DEA, and FBI.
An email dispatched by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) in the summer of 2021 outlined intentions to hold a Project Thor briefing with DOJ representatives at the U.S. embassy in Mexico two weeks after the arrival of newly appointed ambassador Ken Salazar.
"The briefing that week is still a go," ATF International Affairs Chief Joshua Rusk informed Division Chief Ned Dixon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Will Panoke, and a redacted individual. Another email forwarded from ATF headquarters to the former deputy mission chief and U.S. ambassador to Mexico identified Rebecca McCormack as "our DOJ Trial Attorney and DOJ lead" for Project Thor.
In his correspondence, Grassley pointed out that records independently provided to his office corroborated CBS News' discoveries about Project Thor and reiterated worries about the efficacy of America's current endeavors to halt firearms trafficking to Mexico.
"Doubts have been raised regarding law enforcement, intelligence, and diplomatic agencies' dedication to dismantling cartel gunrunning networks operating across the U.S and in neighboring countries," Grassley communicated to law enforcement leadership.
Last month, Grassley raised concerns about U.S. firearms ending up in the hands of Mexican narcos, including those belonging to American armed forces. The U.S. government was found to have evidence of mismanagement in sending resources to Mexico, but no corrective action was taken. The State Department has promised to update Grassley on their progress in the near future.
On the other side, Congressional Democrats have introduced the Stop Arming Cartels Act and Disarming Cartels Act to combat illicit international weapons trade. Sen. Dick Durbin plans to hold a hearing on gun trafficking to drug cartels titled "Damming the Iron River."
In January, Mexico called for a U.S. investigation into military-grade weapons being trafficked to cartels, while a U.S. appeals court revived a $10 billion lawsuit against gun manufacturers.
The Biden administration, along with Mexico and Canada, has reaffirmed their commitment to addressing the issue of American weapons reaching drug cartels. However, there is a lack of evidence showing a significant reduction in the flow of firearms to Mexico. Only a small percentage of smuggled firearms were seized by U.S. law enforcement in the first half of fiscal year 2023.
