Let this be a lesson to all of the gun control advocates out there: There is always some source, somewhere, for bad guys to obtain guns and ammunition. In the latest and rather horrifying example of this, a Camp Pendleton Marine has been arrested and is being charged with selling weapons and ammunition, including what's reported to be a Javelin missile system, to two corporations in his home state of Arizona.
An Arizona Marine Corps corporal is in federal custody, accused of stealing weapons of war at his base in California and selling them for his own profit, according to court documents.
Andrew Paul Amarillas was indicted by a grand jury this week in Arizona, accused of stealing a Javelin missile system and cans of ammunition from his base in California to sell on the streets in Arizona.
Amarillas, 23, is a Glendale native who enlisted in the Marines after graduating from high school. Investigators said that while serving his country, Amarillas was stealing weapons from Camp Pendleton, where he is an ammunition technician specialist at the School of Infantry-West, with access to military explosives and ammunition.
Investigators believe Amarillas would bring the weapons and ammunition to Arizona and sell them to two people who are listed as unindicted co-conspirators. Those people would then sell them to other companies.
Text messages were exchanged between Amarillas, the middlemen and the two Arizona companies coordinating the sales, according to court documents.
Here's some of what was taken:
There are indications that investigators were not able to recover all of the possible stolen weapons. In paperwork to hold Amarillas in custody, prosecutors said “about 2 million rounds of M855” could be unaccounted for. They also mentioned that law enforcement seized “one of the Javelin Missile Systems” Amarillas agreed to “steal and sell.”
M855 ammunition is 5.56mm NATO ammunition that fires a 62-grain bullet with a steel core, designed to enhance penetration. We should note that this ammunition is legal for civilian sale and is widely used by shooters of various 5.56mm rifles, including the AR-15 platform. The amount of it is troubling - two million rounds - as is the possibility that much of it will end up in the hands of gang members, cartels, or even terrorists.
The Javelin missile is much more concerning. This is a man-portable, anti-armor missile, capable of taking out a tank if fired from an advantageous angle. In the wrong hands, this could be very dangerous indeed.
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A local Arizona station also reported on the case:'
Corporal Amarillas is in custody, and hopefully, more of the ammunition and weapons he sold will be recovered. If the allegations are true, then this young NCO has not only committed a serious crime but has also engaged in an unforgivable breach of faith with his country and his fellow Marines. We can only hope he will be appropriately held accountable when convicted.
Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.
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