Robert Cekada retweeted
🚨 This Week at ATF: ATF shut down a gun theft ring, broke up illegal narcotics operations, responded to an active shooter event, arrested a gun trafficker, and uncovered trafficking operation led to guilty pleas. ATF is on the frontlines and working behind the scenes to ensure violent criminals are held accountable while the rights of law‑abiding Americans are wholly protected.
➡️In an ATF-led #HSTF operation, ATF & partners charged 20 suspects in a gun theft ring where nearly 1,500 firearms were stolen
➡️ATF and federal and local partners arrested more than a dozen suspected drug dealers during a raid on LA’s Skid Row
➡️Led major raid in Spokane in case tied to Sinaloa Cartel
➡️Ensured lengthy prison sentence for gang leader in Alaska who purchased 70 firearms, some of which were linked to shootings
➡️Responded to active shooter on I-35 in Iowa, seized rifles, pistols and a shotgun from suspect
➡️Arrested gun trafficker in Texas who was supplying crime guns
➡️ATF firearms tracing that uncovered a trafficking operation along the U.S.-Canada border led to four guilty pleas
➡️@ATFDirectorRC announced the results from Operation Show Me Justice, an ATF-led high-impact violent crime enforcement surge in St. Louis
ATF remains committed to removing violent criminals, firearms and drug traffickers from the streets and make communities across the country safer. Learn more at atf.gov. #WeAreATF
Robert Cekada retweeted
.@PADAGMcCotter and @ATFDirectorRC today announced the results from Operation Show Me Justice, an ATF-led high-impact violent crime enforcement surge in St. Louis, where 435 dangerous offenders were arrested, 166 firearms were seized from criminals, and 81 kg illicit drugs were taken off the streets.
“Operation Show Me Justice delivered the kind of decisive action the public should expect from ATF,” said ATF Director Rob Cekada. “We removed violent offenders from the street, cut off their access to firearms, and dealt a significant blow to the criminal networks endangering this community.”
The @TheJusticeDept-sponsored operation was a whole of government initiative led by ATF and carried out in close coordination with the @USAO_EDMO, and in partnership with the @SLMPD, @USMarshalsHQ, @DEAHQ, @FBI, @HSI_HQ, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Read more at atf.gov/news/press-releases/… . #ATF #DisruptTheShootingCycle #MakingStLouisSAFE
ALT ATF Director Rob Cekada announces the results from Operation Show Me Justice in St. Louis.
ALT Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter announces the results from Operation Show Me Justice in St. Louis.
ALT Law enforcement officers from ATF, U.S. Marshals, and Hazelwood Police detain a suspect inside a warehouse with stacked tires.
ALT Various firearms including rifles and pistols laid out on a table with magazines and ammunition rounds.
Robert Cekada retweeted
▶️@ATFDirectorRC discusses the importance of new guidance on how ATF will treat the ownership, transfer, and transportation of certain National Firearms Act (NFA) firearms.
Watch: youtube.com/watch?v=I48Jq5KG…
🚨Breaking News🚨 As promised, NFA guidance and FAQs will be posted at 3:30PM today. Please check atf.gov
🚨FALSE🚨
We agree: Biden's attempt to impose universal background checks was unlawful. That's why we proposed repealing it.
The Judge ALSO threw out unrelated provisions that help the firearms industry, including definitions of "purchase" and "sale."
Our approach is clear: REPEAL what's unlawful. KEEP what works.
@ATFDirectorRC :
Some places continue to recover many out‑of‑state crime guns, especially along the East Coast. But when local officers use ATF’s tools, they solve shootings faster and stop repeat offenders sooner. The data shows these approaches work. Stronger tracing = safer communities.
More police departments are using ATF’s eTrace system than ever before. New national data shows that eTrace’s trace-to-crime ratio jumped 9.4% in 2025. That means investigators are using tracing more and getting better information to stop illegal trafficking and violent offenders. More tracing helps ATF spot trafficking routes, identify repeat sources, and support safer neighborhoods nationwide. More at atf.gov/news/press-releases/…. #WeAreATF #CrimeGunIntel
ALT A forensic expert examines a disassembled firearm using precision tools on a white evidence sheet marked with ATF labels.
Robert Cekada retweeted
More police departments are using ATF’s eTrace system than ever before. New national data shows that eTrace’s trace-to-crime ratio jumped 9.4% in 2025. That means investigators are using tracing more and getting better information to stop illegal trafficking and violent offenders. More tracing helps ATF spot trafficking routes, identify repeat sources, and support safer neighborhoods nationwide. More at atf.gov/news/press-releases/…. #WeAreATF #CrimeGunIntel
ALT A forensic expert examines a disassembled firearm using precision tools on a white evidence sheet marked with ATF labels.
Robert Cekada retweeted
Most Democrats in tight Senate races are hiding their antigun stance right now, including El-Sayed, which is what this quote was probably referencing.
But make no mistake, if elected they WILL follow Bloomberg's marching orders, even though the voters did not vote for them based on gun control, or even actively oppose it. Virginia proved that model.
🚨 This Week at ATF:
ATF agents and our partners shut down violent offenders and illegal firearms activity across multiple states, from stopping a planned attack in Texas to seizing dangerous machine gun conversion devices in Michigan. Every day, ATF works to hold violent criminals accountable while protecting the rights of law‑abiding Americans.
Robert Cekada retweeted
On April 29, 2024, four law enforcement officers were shot and killed by Terry Clark Hughes Jr., in Charlotte, North Carolina:
• Officer Joshua Eyer, @CMPD
• Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr., @USMarshalsHQ
• Officer Sam Poloche, @NCCorrection
• Officer Alden Elliott, @NCCorrection
This week, ATF and the @USMarshalsHQ arrested Natasha Renee Gibbs, 42, in Dallas for allegedly illegally purchasing the firearm used by Hughes, who was a convicted felon at the time.
Gibbs faces charges of making false statements during a firearm purchase and illegally transferring firearms. She faces potential penalties of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
ATF will continue to hold accountable those who put firearms in the hands of prohibited persons. Read the full press release at atf.gov/news/press-releases/…. #DontLieForTheOtherGuy @ATFCharlotte
ALT Quote from ATF Director Rob Cekada emphasizing the serious crime of providing firearms to prohibited individuals and its devastating consequences.
Robert Cekada retweeted
ATF helps drive crime down. New national data shows gun crime is going down. Reports of gun related incidents dropped 12% last year, and ATF’s tools for tracing and analyzing crime guns played a major part in that progress. When local police use ATF’s technology, it helps solve cases faster and keep communities safer. More at atf.gov/news/press-releases/…. #WeAreATF #CrimeGunIntel
ALT Close-up of bullets being analyzed with text about declining gun crime and ATF's investigative tools.
Robert Cekada retweeted
David Kapone Williams, 36, a member of the Western Hills Bloods, was sentenced to almost 28 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to RICO conspiracy. The WHB engaged in narcotics trafficking, illegal firearms possession, witness intimidation, and violence including murders in 2014 and 2015. Williams admitted his role in the May 2015 killing of a rival gang member near Tucson International Airport.
“This significant sentence is part of an over ten-year effort to hold members of the Western Hills Bloods, a violent criminal street gang, accountable for their acts of violence and intimidation which they inflicted on the citizens of Tucson,” said @ATFPhoenix Special Agent in Charge A.J. Gibes.
Read more about this ATF Phoenix and @Tucson_Police investigation at justice.gov/usao-az/pr/convi…. #WeAreATF
ALT Official ATF seal with text announcing sentencing information.
Robert Cekada retweeted
Jose Santiago Pantoja-Morales, a Mexican national unlawfully present in the U.S., was indicted for possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. On Aug. 6, he allegedly struggled with a Dallas ISD police officer who had stopped to help him, grabbed the officer’s firearm, and fired once, striking the officer. The officer regained control of the weapon; Pantoja-Morales fled and was quickly apprehended.
The @ATFDallas and @DallasPD investigated the case. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in federal prison. An indictment is only an allegation, defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
ATF remains committed to keeping firearms out of the hands of those prohibited by law and protecting our communities and law enforcement partners. Read more at justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/fed….
ALT Jose Santiago Pantoja-Morales federal indictment on firearms charges after a Dallas police shooting.
Robert Cekada retweeted
NIBIN Win: On March 22, 2026, Omaha police recovered .22 caliber casings near a vehicle hit by gunfire. While officers processed the scene, they interacted with a suspect and found a rifle at his home. They later test fired the rifle to enter the casings into NIBIN, and confirmed the match. The suspect was indicted for federal firearms violations, pled guilty on July 7, 2026. More about #NIBIN at atf.gov/nibin. #CrimeGunIntel @ATFKansasCity
ALT Logo of NIBIN with bullet casings forming letters, highlighting its role in solving gun crime.
Robert Cekada retweeted
Two Virginia men were sentenced for trafficking firearms and illegal machine gun conversion devices. Lawrence Higgs, 37, was sentenced to 12+ years in federal prison, and Tariq Haywood-Echols, 32, was sentenced to more than 10 years, after they both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms, engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license, and unlawful possession of machine guns. Higgs also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
An ATF investigation, with partners from the @SomersetPros and @NJSP, recovered more than a dozen firearms, more than a dozen machine gun conversion devices, and substantial quantities of ammunition through controlled purchases. The defendants sold the firearms knowing the buyer was a convicted felon who intended to resell them.
Read more at justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/two-v…. #StopGunTrafficking
ALT Official ATF logo with text highlighting sentencing information from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Robert Cekada retweeted
Jose Raul Alarcon Sanchez, a Mexican national unlawfully present in the United States, was sentenced to 35 months in federal prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm as an illegal alien.
Just after midnight on New Year’s Day 2026, Alarcon Sanchez and another individual were captured on video firing AR-style rifles from the crowded Margaret McDermott Bridge in Dallas during New Year’s Eve celebrations, endangering the public below.
“What happened on that bridge could have ended in tragedy and put innocent people in danger. But our agents and our law enforcement partners methodically followed the evidence—from the shell casings recovered at the scene to the firearm and ultimately to the individual who pulled the trigger,” said ATF Dallas Special Agent in Charge Brian W. Garner.
Read more at justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/ill…. #CrimeGunIntel @ATFDallas @DallasPD
ALT Photos from Alarcon Sanchez’s social media posts, showing a man holding AR-style rifles. Courtesy of U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas.
Robert Cekada retweeted
Honored to serve as a surprise guest speaker at the packed Gun Rights Policy Conference in Dallas. Thank you to @2AFDN and all our Second Amendment supporters! Our amazing Attorney General @AGToddBlanche and Director Rob Cekeda stand with you! @ATFHQ
Robert Cekada retweeted
🚨 This Week at ATF: Agents seized numerous firearms from California street gangs, helped secure multiple sentences for drug and gun trafficking, provided security support for UNGA 81, joined a fraud task force targeting illegal vape and tobacco networks, and published new explosives regulations and proposals.
➡️ Secured federal indictments for four alleged gang members in California while seizing 37 firearms and illegal narcotics and shutdown an L.A. gang, arresting seven members and seizing 33 firearms
➡️ Ensured significant sentences for multiple violent criminals, including a man who shot at ATF agents in Colorado, illegal machinegun sellers in Virginia, and drug dealer in Oklahoma
➡️ Provided security along with DSS for the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York
➡️ Joined Trade Fraud Task Force targeting illegal vape and tobacco trafficking
➡️ Published two final rules and two proposals to modernize explosives regulations
Every day, we stay focused the mission of stopping violent criminals while fully protecting the rights of law-abiding Americans to make communities safer. Learn more at atf.gov. #WeAreATF