A Mexican citizen has been sentenced by a U.S. court to 30 years in prison for the homicide of a Border Patrol officer in 2010, during a shootout in which firearms from the controversial "Fast and Furious" operation were allegedly involved.
On October, 2013, 37-year-old Mexican national Manuel Osorio-Arellanes plead guilty of killing agent Brian Terry, and on Monday, Feb. 11, the judge of the Federal Court in Tucson, David C. Burry, sentenced him to 30 years in prison and five years of provisional freedom after completing his first sentence, according to CNN.
The death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry in 2010, attracted international attention after two AK-47 rifles which were found at the scene of the crime were linked to the failed operation known as "Fast and Furious", implemented by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
According to Reuters, in his initial statement, Osorio-Arellanes admitted that on Dec. 14, 2010 he was in the US illegally to rob smugglers, but denied shooting 40-year-old Terry. He modified his statement after accepting that one of the members of his group was the one to shoot the agent.
Through a press release CNN had access to, the family of the Border Patrol agent said that "We're not celebrating. We acknowledge justice has been done and we think the 30-year sentence is appropriate... We stay hopeful that all suspects of the murder will be brought to justice."
According to a report by EFE, in 2009, the ATF's operation allowed approximately 2,000 firearms to enter Mexico with the intention of tracking them to identify cartel members and their bosses.
Manuel Osorio-Arellanes is the first person to be judged in relation to the controversial operation.