gang has anti-tank rocket

[Guest guest]

Going by the picture, what they have is a PIAT launcher. That was a British weapon from WWII that was really an interim weapon and was widely hated by the troops. The PIAT really isn't a rocket launcher so much as a spigot mortar. I works by cocking a very powerful spring inside a pole of sorts and then fitting the projectile onto the pole. When it is fired, there is a powerful recoil to it from the spring, which is made worse when the "rocket" actually fires. That is because the firing of the rocket recocks the spring. It ws not uncommon for the thing to break shoulders. Maybe they should have let the gang keep it. First off, they aren't going to find ammunition for it, and if they did, all they would have to do is check the hospitals for broken shoulders to find who fired it.

Still, they were up to much nastiness, so it is good that they were busted.

Anti-Tank Grenade Launcher Seized In Massive Crime Ring Bust

POSTED: 4:22 pm EDT April 3, 2008

UPDATED: 11:28 am EDT April 4, 2008

POLK COUNTY, Fla. -- Thirty people were arrested and an anti-tank grenade launcher was seized along with numerous guns and stolen motorcycles in what may be one of the largest organized crime busts in Central Florida history, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said Thursday.

UP-CLOSE LOOK: Images Of Seized Weapons | 30 Mug ShotsRAW INTERVIEW: Sheriff Talks About Seized Anti-Tank Grenade LauncherPDF FILES: News Release | Gilmore Arrest History | Carden Arrest HistoryMORE PDFs: Complete List Of Arrests | Details On Anti-Tank WeaponVIDEO REPORT: 30 Arrested, Weapons Seized In "Operation Round-Up"

The crime ring was operating in at least three Central Florida counties. Detectives started investigating a rash of motorcycle thefts in Polk County and stumbled onto something bigger than they ever imagined that included both Osceola and Orange counties. U.S. Marshal's arrested the ring leader at a house in Osceola County in January, but a federal grand jury just indicted Otis Carden on gun charges Wednesday and now the Polk County sheriff is talking about the investigation that turned up weapons that could've been used to make parts of Central Florida more like a war zone.

» More Weapons Images «

» 30 Suspect Mug Shots«Even without a live round, deputies showed off the power of a WWII-era grenade launcher Thursday (weapon details). It was one of more than 20 weapons seized in an eight-month investigation into an organized crime ring dealing in drugs, guns and stolen property in places like Polk, Osceola and Orange counties. "By their own statement, the sheriff's office brought them to their knees," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Thursday. Sheriff Judd said it started with a rash of motorcycle thefts, but after nearly 30 arrests (complete arrest details) deputies tracked down ring leaders Otis "Cowboy" Carden (arrest history) and Terry "Ox" Gilmore (arrest history). They are men authorities said often used violence selling methamphetamine and collecting stolen weapons across Central Florida. "He said he carried loaded guns and he made sure the folks that dealt with him carried loaded guns all the time for their own protection," Judd said. "Whenever we seized the firearms, they were, every one, fully loaded." Judd said catching people like Carden and Gilmore became a top priority. "It's an organized crime ring today. Is it a terrorist cell tomorrow? That's what concerns us," he said. The sheriff's office is not identifying another man, an illegal immigrant from Mexico who supplied the ring with drugs. Deputies said they're also still searching for three others. The Polk County Sheriff's Office is getting a reputation for uncovering major Central Florida crime rings. They recently arrested two Seminole County ringleaders along with 16 other suspects in a $100 million shoplifting operation. Last month, Polk County detectives caught 21 men involved in a disturbing child pornography ring. The sheriff's office told Eyewitness News they make the busts because they actually search for criminals, rather than just react to crimes.Planning your summer road trip? Check out AOL Travel Guides.