An operation headed by the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, started in 2009. The ATF thought rather than arresting gun smugglers, they'd let the guns roam
free like cattle, allowing smuggling to continue, gambling it would lead them to cartel bosses. Instead they lost track of over 2,000 guns which has been been linked to numerous murders in the US and Mexico.
This
failure of an operation ironically later led to the deaths of US Border Patrol and and ATF agents.
Gun smuggler 1: Yo, that
Fast and Furious thing was great. It made millions.
Gun smuggler 2: You
mean that movie?
Gun smuggler 1: No, that stupid plan to
get cartel bosses off the street. They let me to sell this 9mm to the guy down the street in hopes it would lead them to 'bigger fish'