“A federal agency is setting its sights on Dallas as it fights the flow of U.S. guns into Mexico’s violent drug wars.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives plans to set up 10-member teams in Dallas and several other cities to catch smugglers who buy guns far from the violent border regions where they end up.

“They’ll come up and purchase guns here, or have someone purchase them for them,” said Tom Crowley, a spokesman for ATF’s Dallas division.

Crowley called North Texas a “comfort zone” for drug cartels that use “straw purchasers” – U.S. citizens with no criminal records – to buy guns in large quantities for smuggling.

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