How Gun Smuggling Actually Works | How Crime Works | Insider
Ed Calderon was a police officer in Baja California, Mexico, for 12 years, working in counter-narcotics and organized-crime units in the northern border region. During this time, he witnessed gun smuggling and narcotics smuggling.
He has since worked with members of the US Army, and Mexican and United States intelligence service agents, doing security consulting. He specializes in anti-abduction training, edged-weapon training, and executive-protection work.
Calderon talks to Insider about the practicalities of firearms trafficking across the border. He discusses the point of sale in the US, methods of smuggling, and how the weapons end up in the hands of the Cartels. The Mexican government has estimated that 200,000 firearms are smuggled from the United States each year.
Find out more at
/ manifestoradiopodcast
/ edsmanifesto
Chapter 1: The Smuggling - 00:28
Chapter 2: The Border - 03:52
Chapter 3: The Recruitment - 5:30
Chapter 4: The Market - 7:34
Chapter 5: The Source - 9:53
Chapter 6: The Future - 12:50
Chapter 7: The Backstory - 16:27
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How Gun Smuggling Actually Works | How Crime Works | Insider
Massive amount of respect to Ed Calderon and others who speak on here about drug crime in particular, especially when calling out law enforcements and governments for their corruption. These people have been in that trade and know and are known by others presumably still working it, so the threat to their lives must still be very real, so this is a level of bravery above and beyond what most of the rest of us will ever encounter.
You literally know nothing and are just saying words. Keep it to yourself literally. Embarrassing.
he's probably silence by now :P
He was part of the corruption and is pretending to have the moral high ground 😂
the amount of cartel lackeys that exist in youtube comments associated with ed calderon is gross and typical for the most low of the human race.
@@MrTakin00 yeah that's why he can't go to Mexico right
Ed is an absolute legend. Been following him since way back in the day on the forums he used to post on, while he was still active south of the border. He's as real-deal as it gets. Highly recommend some of his more long-form content,/interviews/discussions he has done.
Why is he trying to be famous?
@@jackjack4412 he has become a journalist and is simply spreading the information on topics that many have a misguided idea of
@@jackjack4412 why are you crying?
ed is literally part of the cartel too, you guys are so gullible. you can't become a cop in Mexico if your not on their agenda
@@TheeApple found the cartel plant.
There is one story that sticks with me , I knew this guy from El Salvador in the Army, he was in the Army after moving to the US in his mid teens with is family, his father had been a federal officer, his father was third generation . One day he came across an attempted bribe and had to quit that day as his son told it, the problem is this, you do not go looking for the cartel bribe it is just made , in this case not even in person, you have the choice take the money and they own you, do not take the money and now you are threat. I can not imagine the nightmare of trying to be a good cop south of the border.
What was the conclusion of your story?
@@__BenDiaz I would assume the conclusion would be there are no clean cops in Mexico. You either take a bribe and work for the cartel and live, or you refuse the bribe, stay clean, and die.
@@__BenDiaz he quit to not take the money and to not be a threat so he wouldnt be killed.
@@__BenDiaz Plata o plomo
@@dakistle cool phrase
So happy to see Ed on the Insider. This guy has been massively slept on. His podcast with Shawn Ryan was literally the first 4-hour podcast ive completed in my life. Listening to his insights only on audio is more engaging than the best action movie. Good on you bro, keep it up!!!
I saw him on a different podcast and then I came across the S.R.S and it's amazing he's slowly being in other podcasts.
Ed Calderon is not as he says he is. He sure has seen and experienced these things. But I personally see holes in his story.
@@ALCRAN2010 yeah on purpose nature of his past life
@@ALCRAN2010 Another anonymous nobody commenting nothing of substance and devoid of proof.
@@__dur__bridge__ joined 1 year ago. How old are you MR/MS KLD
Ed is a wealth of knowledge, keeps up with current trends in Mexico and has first hand knowledge. He’s been a guest on a bunch of podcast & shared insane stories
I’m shocked you all actually used Ed!! He’s a wealth of knowledge but rarely utilized
First you join the ATF then you send agents to purchase large amounts of guns then you tell federal border agents to let specific cars across the border
Under-rated comment
You forgot the part where CIA sells the guns in exchange for Fentanyl that they offload to street gangs
first you allow American corporations and American citizens buy guns with out keeping track or account of any of it..
@@bedoy34 gotta love 2A
@@bedoy34 they do keep track of a lot of it. But, why exactly does tracking matter all that much when the overwhelming majority of confiscated illegal weapons or weapons used in a crime have the serial numbers filed off?
Years of living a dangerous life and being on the wrong side of the law has taught me that a tough man knows when and how to get out of a situation, but a smart man never gets himself into one.
yeah...
yeah...
Yeah...
Sure buddy
Go back to playing Mario kiddo.
Excellent presentation. Informative and interesting.
Respect to Ed Calderon for continuing his work as a technical advisor with firearms and bringing up the topic of operation fast and furious reoccurring
Ed is a national Treasure on both sides of the border. We are truly lucky to have him sharing his wisdom.
Good to see Ed on this channel. Been watching him for a couple years now.
Edit to add; The ATF pressured FFL (licensed Federal Firearm dealers) to make sales to young women that had no idea what they were buying. I talked to one female that had just been convicted of buying 3 .50 caliber rifles to give to her boyfriend to "walk" them across the border. The FFL refused sales and was threatened by our agents to make the sales anyway or face retribution. She was sentenced to three years and she stated that he got eleven years. So it was more than just watching purchases being made and following the smuggler. Just like the FBI/CIA put pressure on Twitter to censor news stories. There is corruption on both sides of the border and in our foreign terrorist task groups that influenced FB, Twitter, KZhead, and others to ban questions about certain politicians' electronics.
The Ed fandom is real. Happy to see him on this channel and all the support.
Really appreciate insider for giving people like Ed a larger platform to help educate people on the world’s many problems.
Eric Holder and Fast & Furious. Ed talked about how FN Five SeveN pistols were suddenly being used around Mexico at the time
Ed is the best thank you for everything brother
This guy really knows what he's talking about. I've seen videos of ATF agents showing how stupid they are.
The atf exists solely to oppress law abiding gun owners while trafficking guns to criminals
Yeah the AFT is truly some stupid people. They can’t even decide what a pistol brace is. They can’t even tell the US what the rules are, that they themselves make up. It’s hard to have faith in them when they can’t even can’t tell us what they say is “okay” to own. And what’s “Not Okay” to own.
A volunteer for the ATF must be the type to watch Star Wars but cheer on the Stormtroopers.
They're not stupid They're just in on it
@@joshuasmith6346 no they'e stupid
I love hearing Ed talk. All the podcasts he's on and just his insta page are all interesting and always a good interview.
My ex used to buy guns with her family and then smuggle them in a truck. She lied to her friends and never told them. They never suspected that she was using them. She used to tell them that they were going to party. She got 15 years and some of her friends got 5 and 3 years in prison. I truly feel sorry for her friends they never knew and they were innocent
I wonder why she got 15 if the most you can get is up to 10 but they never give 10
@@antoinemarous7308 something to do with conspiracy and I think she was connected to a homicide. I broke things off when she got arrested. So I don’t know the full story
She should have used the second amendment, and title 18 U.S.C. section 241 conspiracy against rights and 242 deprivation of rights under color of law in the court. And title 5 U.S.C. sections 3331,3333,7311 Perjury in violating oath of office which is treason and a felony. U.C.C. 1-308 all rights reserved with extreme prejudice, Freedom of speech.
Was the money good?
@Dragon F Well, if she got caught in Mexico trying to smuggle guns in, there is no Second Amendment or any other vague or illogical laws, concepts or excuses to committing crimes in another country that will excuse or get you off. If you don't want to do the time, don't do the crime.
Thanks for making this type of content. It's very informative and shines light on a different side of a multifaceted issue.
I'm from San Diego and Tijuanas problem have been felt all over.
Heart rending and one of the best so far in this series of interviews.
Thank you for finally bringing up operation "Fast and Furious", lead by Attorney General Eric Holder under the Obama Administration!
Operation Wide Receiver took place under Bush. They were both part of Project Gunrunner.
Let me guess, all these issues we got are Obama’s fault.
This has been a huge problem for many years. I grew up in Point Loma, San Diego. I went to school with people who brag online about moving guns around.
They have a job opportunity at the atf
Yeah there was kids at my school who used to bring guns from mexico and sell them on snapchat crazy
Honestly most of our illegal guns in canada come from the south.
It's great to see Ed on this channel, greetings from El Salvador.
I’d like to congratulate drugs for winning the war on drugs
Very true! A war that man won't be able to win.
Ed is an amazing dude. Podcasts he’s been on are eye opening. He’s the real deal.
Thank you for your service and dedication
This will give credence to Ed's story. I live 90 miles from the border. Years ago, my brother had a friend that did gunsmithing as a side hustle. One day, I went with my brother to his friends house, where I met a 'friend' of my brothers friend. This 'friend', as I found out later, had 'commissioned' my brothers friend to build 6 AR platform rifles, giving him a large amount of money as a deposit. I'm not the smartest person, but I figured out real quick what this guy was about and where the finished rifles were going to go. I wanted no part of this guy and couldn't put enough distance between myself and this 'friend', whom, thankfully, I never saw again. As a side note, my previous job was in a service industry that had me going into people's homes. I've seen firsthand on at least three occasions, evidence of people smuggling in the homes, one actually had two ladies in these 'hidey' spots (I walked in on them watching T.V. in this 'hidey' spot, believing it was some sort of storage room, just not for storing people). If you think for a second the U.S. government isn't complicit in this, you're a fool as it became a case of "nothing to see here" as a result of reporting it.
Ok. Do all folks from Baja guys speak English as native as Ed? Also, do all Baja guys talk Spanish like a pocho?
Border Control hates the migrant caravans because they can't make any money off of them
LoL. Crazy but I believe it.
100%
Your friend must have had access to serious equipment and tools and skills to build AR platform rifles, AR-15/M4 rifles are very complex when it comes to parts.... not at all like the stamped steel for the AKM's
Great to see Ed getting more recognition. Been an OG follower. Keep going Ed
Love that man!! So knowledgeable & doesn’t hold back on speaking the truth
Love to see Ed around here, el sabe lo que tiene que saber.
Wow… thanks AFT. Disappointed even knowing that the US still has that as an organization. I can’t think of 1 thing in the past 10 years that they’ve done positive for this country.
Usmail
@turcitox ATF does mail now?? Clearly public school hasn't been a positive since you can't read....
Alcohol and Tobacco should be part of FDA Guns should be overseen by the FBI
@@Ktmfan450 i feel like alcohol and tobacco should be handled by the DEA instead
I can name a few bad things. Operation fast and furious. Waco. Ruby ridge. Edit I can name 1 "good" thing. They help control the pet population.
Gotta give the man a lot of respect for speaking of the corruption on both sides. And he never put the blame on any one thing but pointed out a multitude of problems.
Wow amazing story and well put together. Thanks so much for everything and I’ve learned so much from this!!
6:30 this is very accurate. Once my grandfather accidentally smuggled a straight razor so sharp it could cut air through not one, not two, but three airports. We only realized it had been in his pocket by the time we landed at our destination. TSA would wave him past security because he wore a "KOREAN WAR VETERAN" hat and usually they'd salute him or thank him for his service. It still find it funny to this day.
I had a little credit card shaped folding knife that I bought on a whim and forgot about. I took it through maybe ~6 US airport security points in a backpack and only had it taken by Taiwanese airport security.
It seems like everyone had a story like this. TSA doesn’t seem to find much.
@williamwolfkiel3652 i did the exact same thing lol
It’s funny now that u mentioned this, i used to work on refineries shut downs so the company had the crew flying from city to city and one of my coworkers made it thru 2 tsa check points with 2 gs of coke on his carry on bag, inside the watch pockets of one of his jeans, he didn’t realized that untill he wore them couple of days after lol
I carried a hammer in my EDC because I'm a bus driver and we use them as a quick pressure check on tires. I forgot to take it out and only realized it was there when I got home and had gone through four different security checks at airports.
Hey man. The radio thing was one time. Now we do like the bop it. Radio off opens nitro chamber. Volume up loads piston. Push volume releases interior hatch that reveals weapon. Pull brake drops the main door.
Again thank you sir for enlightening us in many many points that although I suspected were so, hadn’t heard from experienced said issues were factual. Thank you.
Damn… I did not expect that last segment. That was deep man. You can tell that this man really put his whole soul into this life.
Big respect for this dude telling how it is.
Ah trebuchets really do solve everything
wait they can easily just cure cancer or I guess destory.
It's my favorite word!
Text book trebuchet, not a catapult.
These videos are very well done. Thank you!
Amazing interview one with The shawn ryan show is so impressive not disrespecting this one but just free flowing chat between a seal and this man just incredible
The actual scariest part that Ed spoke of was the insistence on how he had to get out fast.... You don't normally do that with a job you've been at for 12 years. I pray for him and his family's safety because that sounds like he was in a serious situation and had to make like a ghost or become one. Thank you Ed!
I always worry about Ed. He’s taught a lot of people including me things that we may have never found out otherwise and ALOT of people in Mexico have a problem with what he does I’m sure .
Having family from all sorts of paths of life, Ed might even be one of my distant relatives, I always told people about this stuff but it was just brushed off as conspiracy theory lol
How if he be going to Mexico
Ppl in Mexico we have no issue with him at all.
@@Noredlac_ What makes you think he’s your relative?
@@James_Edward59 same last name with family in tj
This was immensely informative.
Very accurate. He's a great consultant & specialist.
Thank you sir for your service. When I was teenager I wanted to be an agent (DEA or ATF). After some college experiences with the legal system I realized very quickly that corruption was a thing. I decided it wasn't worth risking my life trying to do what's right (the law) and have to battle my own government and the people we claim to be going after. Thank you for staying legit and sharing the truth about law enforcement.
As you probably know now "the law" isn't really the right thing it's more to keep us plebs in check as most of the time it doesn't apply to politicians and the 1%.
Informative and interesting. Following the trail of bodies to get a bigger bust. Isn't that how the old school narcotics units used to operate?
Props to Mr. Calderon. Stories like his are an inspiration to those that do the job he did.
You are a genuine hero, sir!
Ed's Manifesto!
So much better than the "Film expert reviews 10 movie scenes"
Excellent and Outstanding Analysis!!!!
Thank you for the tutorial 🙏
Ed is a more patriotic American than many natural born Americans. We're lucky to have him here
The fun part of this is that humanity always adapts. No matter what we do to get rid of guns. Somebody will always have them.
Yes, the government for sure, that's why each free person should be able to get some too for protection.
@@maciejkaim getting into a gun fight is not the solution you seem to think it is. All it does is increase your chance of getting shot.
Fun fact bad guys don't care about laws. Gun Laws are meant to punish those following the laws set in place.
Let's not pretend like if the U.S. stopped the manufacture, sale, and purchase of firearms and ammunition that it would look anything like what is happening in Mexico. They are getting their guns from the US and not the other way around. Do not be discouraged into inaction by what you've seen happen on our Southern boarder. If we stop the sale, manufacture, and purchase of firearms and ammunition it will make it harder for those cartels to get ahold of new guns.
@@DarkGensis Yes! Exactly! I'm glad there are some educated people out there.
My friend thank you for who you are, many BLESSINGS to you and your battle buddies...🙏😇👍🙏
Thanks for the tutorial!
Eric Holder was a pretty good gun runner
Prohibition is always an incentive for criminals.
Sure but doesn’t help the fact that you have the most armed country to the north. You’re asking for legal guns to be sent to Mexico
Ed's JRE Episodes are some of my favorites
Ah man, love Ed Calderon! Absolute master of his craft!!!
Shot out to Ed Calderon. One of Mexico’s finest, now one of The U.S’s finest. 🙏🏽
He was trying so hard not to say white people when he was talking about people camouflage lol
I was thinking the same s***
What’s funny is that this is a perfect example of how racism is both still a thing and is being used by people smart enough to see it still being a thing. Border agents see white Americans as those who do no wrong, but it’s easy to take advantage of that, it’s not like all white Americans are rich lol but that’s the assumption.
isn’t it absolutely insane that not only have white people literally carved into POC around them to create their world, but they also have crafted poisonous presumptions of guilt for certain types of people - and those presumptions even seep into the same types of people that these judgements are about
@@pasta-and-heroin yea, well said. It’s kinda dystopian in a sense. You can really start to feel the history in everything when you push the boundaries even a little bit. It’s crazy to really imagine the type of subjugation some people experienced in the past for the amount of control white people have set up.
As a native to Baja California, thanks for speaking out on what’s going on in our state. Saludos desde Ensenada.
Cool to see Ed out here like this
I've seen a lot of Ed's videos, he's absolutely the real deal. The growing anti-American sentiment in the Mex is real.
Always watching from Georgetown Guyana south America 🇬🇾🇬🇾🇬🇾🇬🇾
Holy crap is that guy hardcore. Super glad he made it through alive and major respect for keeping some shred of his soul intact through it all.
So glad to hear Ed standing up for what’s right
Got arrested at the Tijuana border when I was 18. He's not wrong when they say they do find ya straight outra high-school. Like 6 of my classmates and multiple kids from the junior and following senior years were also busted in either drugs, people, or running money. But yeah the x-ray wasn't always accurate at the time, and (can talk about we all did our time that were connected, and are out) but yeah he was border patrol who got me involved. It's not worth it to everyone who thinks it's easy money and can get away with it, stay out and stay up.
I go to TJ a lot. The mexicans have an x-ray machine at San Ysidro, they don't look very hard at your paperwork, and only make you fill out the FMM about 1/4 of the time, but your stuff is always x-rayed, and they usually open my suitcase. I've never seen, nor have I ever been patted down but I wouldn't walk across at San Ysidro with a weapon.
@claytonberg721 yeah it's crazy I used to cross when they had the spinning gate to go into Mexico now it's annoying having to have paperwork before ID was enough
Wasn't always this way between Mexico and US. What changed?
@@ibaconbits8997 In the trump era to mitigate some of the migration the US gave mexican officials a bounty of like $50 a head for every undocumented migrant traveling through mexico. Biden never repealed it. There's youtube videos on this subject. They never used to be that tight with the FMM but now when buses go through checkpoints and if you don't have your FMM or it's expired they take you to jail. Figure in the fact that mexican jails are for profit as well, they make like $10 a head per night for every inmate, you can languish in those cells for quite some time. One german travel youtuber spent a month in a mexican jail because his FMM was expired and he thought it was 'no big deal'. Essentially if you're not going any further south than Rosarito you'll be fine, but if you're on the toll roads and your paper work is checked you'd better make sure your FMM is in order. As for having your bag checked, Mexico is what is left of one of the great ancient civilizations and despite it's troubles is still one of the great countries in the world. If they don't want people crossing with weapons that's their prerogative. And Mexico being sticky about the FMM is from pressure from the north.
@@raulthepig5821 drugs and money sadly.
I am so sorry for your experiences, sir.
Wow Speechless
Bravo. Brave man. Hoping the widows and orphans get some compensation. Hope you have lots of luck raising these issues and a long, healthy life. The "war on drugs" really was/is a dirty war.
14:10 You mean to tell me a federal agency that’s supposed to stop irresponsible usage of firearms directly influenced the irresponsible usage of firearms? Color me shocked
NRA ties their hands,so they have to resort to other means.
When I worked at a very large beverage company that is now owned and based in Mexico. I ordered my dad an optic from optics planet. They took my money and gave it back because my work phone ip address was from somewhere in Mexico. They explained why and extended the awesome discount I got like 4 days after the sale. Shoutout optics planet, doing their due diligence
Great story. Compelling and rich. - Ron
I like the trebuchets, it's like such a "simple" method. Just straight up catapult your illegal items across the border at breakneck speed haha.
Every American needs to look up operation fast & furious, and understand the unjust things our government is doing.
We invaded Iraq over a lie. Fast and Furious sucks but I have to laugh at the idea that there's some awakening people can reach by searching for info. It's right in front of our face, most people choose not to look at it.
They do so many unjust things every day. What's knowing about another illegal activity going to do😂 respectfully. I already don't trust them
Good for you brother, tell your and their stories! :)
More of Ed Calderon is the right choice. Give me more please.
You forgot to tell about the FBI and CIA supplying arms to cartels in south america.
And electing far right extremists with anti crime speech. War is business for the USA
@@tacioob2337 American economy literally runs on wars.
Or the Taliban. Guess who those guns were used on for 20 years?
Oh trust me, he mentions it. Go watch his podcasts
@@dakiler2028 what is the name of his podcast?
I was not thinking about who has lost but now that you actually spoke about them I want them to just think about people like you who wanted their loved ones to still be around to be the ones who still know where their loved one's souls are resting, automatically those you had in mind , I don't know much
If you have heard about people claiming to know something about God, you have been listening, I am the one who is going to make them keep quiet, they have been making noise here and I was just waiting for them to stop talking, now I need a challenger or something,so we can rectify what they spoke like they know about to be really something they don't know, I can do more but the ones you spoke about first, I am around I don't think I will be going away soon
Very well spoken man
Its amazing too learn about this stuff.
70% of the firearms they decide to trace may come the US however there are plenty of weapons that come from other places. The Cartels get lots of weapons from Eastern Europe, Pakistan, Far East etc.
The other 30% 🙄
Not as easily nor as plentiful.
That's how they get grenade launchers and guns like those
Gracias por el trabajo que has hecho y debo decirte que como gringo, como crecí en Guate, empatizo mucho con lo que dices sobre el crímen organizado. EEUU puede y debe hacer más para controlar la venta de armas, porque desgraciadamente las condiciones en México con los carteles son peores. Agradezco la franqueza de tu video.
Great video 💯🍿
Whoaaaa Good seeing Ed here!
it's so wild. This guy seems like an articulate upstanding guy. Carries himself well, not the kind of guy you would initially see as dangerous. I guess people can have all sorts of biases.
MY BOY ED!!!!
Ed is a super knowledgeable, humble guy. I think he has shared more to the EDC and Non Permissive Environment community than all others combined. I make NPE tools and largely because of Ed and his information is why I started making what i did. Much of what I've learned and now train with is because of Ed and it just makes sense once he explained why. I would love to do a collab one day for non permisive tools with Manifesto Radio or one of his other companies. I'm sure so does every other knife maker lol.
Excellent video
good man
Yeah my friend had a trap guy install a really good secret Drop in his door . You had to hit 3 different buttons On the radio and air conditioning to have the trap open. Very tough to find a good trap guy anymore At least in the United States
My guy had the exact same trap. Chicago?
I was in Tapelcatepek last year. He’s not joking about how sketchy it is.
Borat is so flexible in his personas! Lmao. Good one. Can't wait to see the movie.
Excellent video. Just sad what is happening in Mexico and we in the USA have some responsibility for what is happening. We need to figure out how to fix it with both of our countries.
1. Disband ATF (Operation Fast & Furious) 2. Secure borders
Easy eliminate all illegal unconstitutional gun laws,in both countries, make guns cheap, every citizen armed to the teeth crime disappears. Laws exist only to rob, kidnap,beat, torture, murder citizens for profit, power, and control. U.C.C. 1-308 all rights reserved with extreme prejudice, Freedom of speech.
@@TheSundayShooter ATF is a illegal unconstitutional agency.
Oh yeah always takes two to tango.
"some" it's 50/50, americans want drugs and have guns, cartels want guns and have drugs, it takes two to make the deal