We're the Only Ones Walking Guns Enough?

A sophisticated operation run out of a Bessemer home removed serial numbers from guns, replaced them with fake numbers and possibly put thousands of untraceable firearms on the street, according to federal authorities and court records. [More]

And then there's this:

The operation was stopped by the ATF during a two-year undercover investigation of gun trafficking from Oklahoma to Alabama.

So at what point did they learn about this guy, at what point did they intervene, who issued directions, and what damage was done in the interim?

Perhaps Sen. Grassley ought to add this to his "to do" list...