Operation Wide Receiver

The true and shocking story of an undercover smuggling operation.

Conducted under the umbrella of Project Gunrunner and intended to stem the flow of firearms to Mexico, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) ran a series of “gun walking” sting operations, including Operation Wide Receiver and Operation Fast & Furious. The government allowed licensed gun dealers to sell weapons to illegal straw buyers so that they could continue to track the firearms as they were transferred to higher-level traffickers and key figures in Mexican cartels.

Motivated by a sense of patriotic duty, Tucson gun dealer and author Mike Detty alerted the local ATF office when he was first approached by suspected cartel associates. Detty made the commitment and assumed the risks involved to help the feds make their case, often selling guns to these thugs from his home in the dead of night. Originally informed that the investigation would last just weeks, Detty’s undercover involvement in Operation Wide Receiver—the precursor to Operation Fast & Furious, by far the largest “gun walking” probe—stretched on for an astonishing and dangerous three years.

Though the case took several twists and turns, perhaps the cruelest turn was his betrayal by the very agency he risked everything to help.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Mike Detty has been writing for consumer gun magazines and law enforcement journals for over twenty years. He received a BS in criminal justice administration from the University of Arizona and later entered the officer ranks of the US Marine Corps. His involvement in the firearms industry started with his own competitive shooting endeavors. He resides in Tucson, Arizona.

Sharyl Attkisson is a Washington-based investigative reporter. In 2012, Attkisson won an Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism, as well as the RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting for the "Gunwalker: Fast and Furious" story. She resides in Washington, DC.