Federal Agents Raid Gun Shop, Find Weapons

THE O-TIMES

Federal agents on Monday searched a south Tulsa gun shop
owned by the man who officials allege had kept in his house one of
the largest stockpiles of explosives ever confiscated by the Tulsa
Police Bomb Squad.
Thao Dinh Le was arrested July 2 on numerous federal and state
charges after the explosives were found. He has remained in jail
since then.
Agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
began searching Thao's shop, Wholesale Guns & Ammo, 8335 A E. 51st
St., with a federal warrant about 1 p.m., according to reports.
The agents carried out about a dozen cardboard boxes, which
appeared to contain weapons, and loaded them into a vehicle. ATF
officials Monday would not say what they were looking for or what
they had found.
Bomb squad officials also were at the scene but did not appear
to handle any explosives.
On July 2, undercover narcotics agents served a warrant at
Thao's home, 12121 E. 29th Court, to search for drugs. They found a
stockpile of land mines, hand grenades, dynamite and other
explosives, police said.
ATF agents are investigating the possible connection between
what was found in Thao's residence and a cache of explosives
discovered last week in the A.B. Jewell Water Reservoir at 21st
Street and 193rd East Avenue.
Police divers fished about 200 military explosives from the
reservoir June 28, after a fisherman pulled a string of grenades
from the water. Officials said it appeared that someone had thrown
the explosives into the reservoir to get rid of them.
ATF spokesman Dave Roberts has said some of the serial numbers
on the weapons from both finds are "similar" and may have been
stolen from the same military source. Thao has not been charged in
connection with the explosives found in the reservoir.
                                                                             
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