Gun Smuggler Speaks

A black market arms dealer speaks to NEWSCHANNEL 5 about his job

WESLACO - A man we will call Jimmy says he's a black market arms dealer.

He looks like a regular guy, but he lives a secret life.

"I'm selling these guns to people who are in some really bad business," he says.

He says he can make a $5,000 profit off just one gun, selling them to people who can't legally buy them.

His deals go down in some pretty public places.

"We usually do it someplace nice and public. You'd be surprised. Someplace where there ain't many cameras, but where there's a good reason why I'd be there," he says.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives says it's seen a 50% increase in illegal drug trafficking since 2006.

They cite on-going violence between Mexican drug cartels. The bloody turf wars have claimed the lives of 3,400 people in the last 15 months.

ATF statistics show 90 percent of all guns seized in Mexico come from the United States. Most of those from Texas.

If they catch a gunrunner, they could face up to life in prison. But the punishment isn't enough to deter people making thousands of dollars in cash every week.