On December 15, 2010, Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was murdered while conducting operations against rip crews in southern Arizona. On Wednesday, Jesus Leonel Sanchez-Meza and Ivan Soto-Barraza were sentenced to life sentences for the murder of Agent Terry.
They were convicted in October.
Agent Terry’s murder exposed the scandalous Fast and Furious operation in which federal agents allowed criminals to buy guns with the intention of tracking them. The agency lost most of the guns, including two that were found at scene of Terry’s death.
Authorities say Sanchez-Meza and Soto-Barraza were members of a rip-crew that planned on robbing drug smugglers. Instead, they encountered border agents and engaged in a shootout.