(NewsCore) - Three supervisors of the US government's controversial anti-gun-running program "Fast and Furious" were promoted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) despite continued criticism of their actions, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
The men helped coordinate the large-scale sting operation, which saw thousands of firearms illegally trafficked between the US and Mexico in a bid to ensnare gangs and drug cartels.
No senior crime figures were arrested during the 15-month program, which also was linked to the shooting deaths of two US Border Patrol agents. The program reportedly became so unwieldy that the ATF lost track of more than a thousand firearms and played an active role in arming the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico's most vicious crime units.
Despite being heavily criticized by a House committee for their perceived mismanagement of the program, the three supervisors were given new positions at the agency's Washington headquarters.
William McMahon, the ATF's deputy director of operations in the west during "Fast and Furious," will assume a management role with the agency's Office of Professional Responsibility and Security Operations -- which investigates employee misconduct.
Field supervisors William Newell and David Voth, who jointly managed the "Fast and Furious" program from Phoenix, were also promoted.
The news was met with anger and disbelief by many ATF agents who worked under the men during "Fast and Furious," the newspaper reported.
"Literally, my mouth fell open," agent Larry Alt, who worked under Newell, said. "I am not being figurative about this. I couldn't believe it."
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http://www.myfoxny.com/dpps/news/feds-who-ran-fast-and-furious-gun-program-receive-promotions-dpgonc-20110816-fc_14586928
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