Sheriff Questions Headline About Involvement With ‘Fast And Furious’

El Paso Sheriff Richard Wiles is questioning Thursday’s lead headline in the El Paso Times, which reads: “Sheriff’s office aided feds’ Fast and Furious.”

Fast and Furious was a controversial operation put together by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in which guns were allowed to cross into Mexico, in hopes the weapons could be traced to cartel members.

At a news conference Thursday morning, Wiles said his office didn’t help the feds knowingly. He said the feds asked his office to conduct hotel surveillance on a drug suspect in March of 2010. Wiles it wasn’t until later that found out the suspect was a Fast and Furious target.

The El Paso Times reported that, but it’s the headline with which the sheriff takes issue.

“So, if there’s an impression in this community that this agency was involved in this operation, that’s very controversial; it’s not true,” said Wiles. “It’s just not true and I want the public to know that.”