New internal ATF records show Project Thor’s strong track record for cracking down on dangerous cross-border gun smuggling.
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is probing a Biden-era decision to shut down Project Thor, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) led program, that identified and dismantled Mexican cartel arms trafficking networks.
“The government must be fully transparent to the American people about why it eliminated Project Thor, even though, based on the records obtained to-date, the program protected U.S. national security interests and helped to disrupt and dismantle criminal cartel networks’ access to firearms,” Grassley wrote.
In his letter, Grassley highlights new internal government records provided by legally protected whistleblower disclosures detailing Project Thor’s “Operation Nordic Giant.” These records reveal the first Trump administration successfully used Project Thor’s unique capabilities to disrupt and dismantle cartel arms trafficking networks operating in the U.S.
“In this case, Andrew Scott Pierson, an American fugitive hiding in Mexico, was identified and prosecuted for operating a sophisticated, firearms trafficking network for years for the Cartel del Noreste (CDN) cartel,” Grassley continued. “The information gathered, analyzed and disseminated through Project Thor, as well as its efforts to coordinate several investigations across multiple law enforcement agencies, played a critical role in dismantling Pierson’s trafficking network and substantially reducing the CDN’s ability to obtain firearms.”
Grassley sent letters and enclosed records to ATF, the Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection.
Background:
ATF’s Project Thor brought together over 16 executive branch agencies in a whole-of-government effort to stem the flow of firearms between the U.S. and cartels in Mexico. The operation received public and private accolades for its accomplishments, before being defunded by the Biden administration in 2022.
Grassley is continuing his extensive oversight of U.S. efforts to combat Mexican cartels on both sides of the border. Last Congress, he demanded the Biden administration’s ATF provide a full account of Project Thor’s work and the reasons for defunding the operation. He also pressed the previous administration on its lackluster policies to address the proliferation of cartel arms trafficking networks operating in the U.S.
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