Federal agents kill man in phony murder-for-hire plot

MCALLEN, Texas Tue Mar 27, 2012 12:36am EDT

(Reuters) - A U.S. federal agent shot dead one of four men facing arrest in South Texas for being part of a murder-for-hire squad enlisted by undercover agents posing as Mexican drug cartel members, according to court documents released on Monday.

A Drug Enforcement Administration agent shot Jerome Corley on Saturday in Laredo, Texas, where federal authorities busted three men, including an Army sergeant and a recently discharged officer, who thought they would be hired as assassins for Mexico's brutal Zetas drug cartel.

The Zetas was founded around a group of elite Mexican troops that went rogue to work for the Gulf cartel, south of Texas. They later split to build their own extremely violent and well armed group involved in drug trafficking, kidnap and extortion.

Among the arrested was Corley's cousin Kevin Corley, 29, of Colorado Springs, Colo., who served in Afghanistan and was discharged from the Army on March 13, according to an Army spokeswoman; Samuel Walker, 28, of Colorado Springs, an active-duty sergeant, according to a spokeswoman at Fort Carson; and Shavar Davis, 29, of Denver.

The DEA launched the sting operation in January 2011, after two men in South Carolina told undercover agents posing as Zetas members about Kevin Corley, who the men said could sell the agents fully automatic weapons and sniper rifles, a criminal complaint states.

Kevin Corley told undercover agents that he was an Army officer who trained soldiers and could provide a murder-for-hire team to raid a ranch and recover 20 kilograms of cocaine stolen by a rival cartel, the complaint states.

He said he would carry out the contract killing with his cousin for $50,000 and five kilograms of cocaine, the complaint states. He offered to refund the money if the team did not retrieve the Zetas' cocaine and execute their rival.

On March 5, Kevin Corley sold two AR-15 assault rifles with scopes, an Airsoft assault rifle, five stolen ballistic vests and other equipment to an undercover DEA agent for $10,000 in Colorado Springs, Colo., prosecutors said.

At that meeting, Corley discussed the murder-for-hire job with the undercover agent, saying he had purchased a new Ka-Bar knife to carve a "Z" in the victim's chest — a calling card of the Zetas cartel — and a hatchet to dismember his body, the complaint states.

The operation reached its climax on Saturday in Laredo, when undercover agents confirmed that Corley and three others were ready to move forward with the supposed cartel assassination, the complaint states.

Undercover agents called for an arrest team to detain the four men. Shortly thereafter, an agent fired several shots that struck and killed Jerome Corley, the complaint states.

Davis, Walker and Kevin Corley remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing on federal drug conspiracy and weapons charges in Laredo. Kevin Corley was a first lieutenant who was on active duty in the Army from November 19, 2008 to March 13, 2012, according to U.S. Army Lt. Col. Laurel Devine. Walker is assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo., according to Dee McNutt, a spokeswoman at Fort Carson.

Agents also arrested Marcus Mickle, 20, and Calvin Epps, 26, in South Carolina on drug conspiracy charges. They are accused of working with Walker and Kevin Corley to move loads of cocaine and marijuana between South Carolina and Texas.

Also arrested was Mario Corley, 40, of Saginaw, Texas, a cousin of Kevin Corley's who is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana.

The most serious charge lodged in the case - conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine - carries between 10 years and life in prison and up to a $10 million fine.

Situated along the U.S.-Mexico border, Laredo is bordered to the south by Nuevo Laredo, considered by the DEA to be a stronghold of the Zetas drug cartel.

Nearly 50,000 people have been killed in raging cartel-related violence across Mexico since late 2006.

By Jared Taylor

Canadian Dad Arrested After 4 Year-Old Daughter Draws Image Of Him With A Gun (More Crazy Canadians!)

Ohio --(Ammoland.com)- A Kitchener, Ontario, man was arrested and strip-searched last Wednesday after his 4-year-old daughter drew a picture in school.

The picture depicted him with an (airsoft) gun. That’s right…his daughter drew a picture of him with an (airsoft) gun.

When her teacher asked her what it was that she was drawing, she replied that she was drawing her Daddy “shooting burglars and monsters.” The teacher promptly took the picture to the principal, who called child protective services, who, in turn, called the police.

When the girl’s father, Jesse Sansone, got to the school to pick up his daughter, three police officers were waiting for him. They arrested him and charged him with possession of a firearm. They subsequently took him to the police station and strip-searched him. Furthermore, Sansone’s home was searched without his consent, and his wife and other children were also taken to the police station and questioned. The other children were separated from both their parents during their “interview.” Remember, all this activity was triggered by a preschooler’s drawing. Mr. Sansone was later asked to sign a waiver consenting to a search of his home – after being arrested and after police had already done a preliminary “walk-through” search. Apparently, law-abiding, gun-owning Canadians’ homes are subject to warrantless searches at any time.

The only “firearm” that was found from the resulting search was essentially an “airsoft” toy.

Now most of us probably realize that gun rights in Canada are very different from our rights here in the States. And we all know that our school administrators here make better decisions that those in Canada. Or do they? Watching the news lately, I have seen a clear and consistent pattern of ignorance among not only our teachers and administrators, but also some law enforcement professionals. I realize that it’s especially unpopular to pick on teachers, administrators or public servants these days, but come on people, start using some common sense. I’m sure my critical view of some educators and law enforcement professionals will be unpopular. After all, they perform some very difficult jobs. We cannot, however, continue to let political correctness pervade our schools and infect our children. If this ignorance continues, it will ultimately cost us our constitutional rights.

What is our role in all of this? What can we do? We can start by calling out this politically-correct rhetoric when we hear it. Let’s let others know that we value our constitutional and religious principles and that we won’t be bullied by their intolerance of our rights. We must vote for common sense-thinking candidates who have similar values – at every elected level - whether it’s for school board or the presidency.

We must do our part to win the minds of educators – to make them understand the absurdity of the direction in which we are headed.

Kirkland Police Issue Alert on Air Gun Safety After "Assault Rifle" Calls

After responding to several calls about “assault rifles” being carried in public that turned out to be airsoft guns, the Kirkland Police Department has issued an alert to raise awareness about how and where to properly use the potentially dangerous airsoft guns.

Kirkland Police spokesman Sgt. Rob Saloum said Wednesday that there haven’t necessarily been any close calls recently regarding the use of the air guns, also known by the brand name Airsoft guns. But they come in models that look just like real pistols and assault rifles -- such as AK-47s and AR-16s -- and the department hopes to prevent potentially dangerous situations.

“We’ve had several contacts,” he said. “We’re not going in there half-cocked. (But) we get calls from people who see kids or young adults dressed in camouflage and carrying them [airsoft guns]. So we wanted to educate the public.”

The airsoft guns are used for target practice and interactive gaming, and shoot plastic or ceramic projectiles like a large airsoft BB at rates up to 700 feet per second. Some people use them outside for war games, similar to paintball contests, wearing combat fatigues and other camouflage apparel. Under federal law, airsoft guns must be painted orange on the tip when they are sold.

“The problem is kids will paint the orange to make it look more real,” said Saloum. “Criminals sometimes too. The kids are looking for weapons that look like real guns, and they do. They are very realistic. It’s not what we did as kids with our Red Rider BB guns, it’s just a whole 'nother level.”

Tragic accidents have occurred in past nationally when police believed such weapons were the real thing. So to get the word out on their safe use, the Kirkland Police and the city have created a notice listing laws regarding airsoft guns and safety tips. For example:

• If you’re younger than 18 years old, you must have a parent or adult with you when carrying or shooting an airsoft gun.
• It is unlawful for anyone to point or shoot an airsoft gun at any person or property, or to discharge an airsoft gun that may cause injury to the person or damage to the property.
• Airsoft guns may not be used in any Kirkland park.
• Do not paint over the orange tips.
• Learn and follow firearm safety guidelines.
• Teach your young airsoft gun user how to safely handle it.
• Treat every [airsoft] gun as if it is loaded.