Mexican police have arrested a third suspect in the December 2010 killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry, whose death drew light on Operation Fast and Furious, a botched plan by the U.S. government that was meant to track guns smuggled to Mexico.
Police in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa said they had arrested Ivan Soto Barraza, 30, who is suspected in participating in Terry’s killing during a shootout in the Arizona borderlands, Reuters reported.
Fast and Furious, operated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, allowed weapons to slip across the border to Mexico in what turned into a national scandal.
Mexican Interpol captured Soto near the town of El Fuerte late on Wednesday and took him to a prison in Hermosillo, Sonora, on Thursday, where he awaits extradition, a police spokesman said, according to Reuters.
Terry’s cousin, Robert Heyer, issued a statement on behalf of the Terry family in response to the arrest.
“Brian’s family is pleased to hear of another arrest and we remain hopeful that two additional fugitives believed to be in Mexico will be arrested. Questions remain unanswered about the death of Brian, including details on the failed gun trafficking investigation known as Operation Fast and Furious,” he said, according to the report.
Five Mexican men have been charged in Terry’s killing, and only two now remain at large.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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