No, ICE (Probably) Didn’t Buy Guided Missile Warheads

On September 19, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement made a $61,218 payment for “guided missile warheads and explosive components,” according to the Product and Service Code (PSC) included in the payment record on a federal contracting database.

“This award provides multiple distraction devices to support law enforcement operations and ICE- Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs,” the record’s description section reads.

The Substack Popular Information mentioned this payment in a Monday article, which focused on the fact that ICE spending in the “small arms, ordnance, and ordnance accessories manufacturing” product category increased by 700 percent between 2024 and 2025. (Spending increased by about 636 percent, per WIRED’s analysis of the same category and time periods Popular Information measured.) Word of the payment also circulated on Tuesday after a post on BlueSky by Democratic Wisconsin state senator Chris Larson went viral.

It turns out, concern over ICE agents planning to use warheads is likely based on a mistake. Quantico Tactical, the company listed as the supplier of said warheads in the federal payment records, does not sell any explosive devices. (It sells a variety of firearms, switchblades, and weapon accessories.) David Hensley, founder and CEO of Quantico Tactical, told WIRED in an email that the PSC “appears to be an error.”

“Quantico Tactical does not sell, and I suspect that CBP ICE does not purchase, ‘Guided Missile Warheads,’” Hensley said, referencing Customs and Border Protection. He added that the rest of the payment record appears to be correct.

PSCs are assigned by a government agency’s contracting office, not the private contractor. Hensley declined to speculate on what the correct PSC for the payment may be. He also declined to clarify which “distraction devices” ICE purchased. However, ICE made two other payments to Quantico Tactical for “distraction devices” in September 2024 and August 2025.

The descriptions for both payment records claim that they are for training programs run by ICE’s Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs (OFTP). Both payments records use the PSC for "chemical weapons and equipment,” which includes items like "flame throwers" and "smoke generators.”

An ICE “Firearms and Use of Force” handbook from 2021 does not mention any approved use of flame throwers, but it does mention the use of "chemical munitions" such as smoke, pepper spray, and tear gas. (It notes that their use must be approved by the agency's associate director and the OFTP.) Quantico Tactical does not list smoke bombs, pepper spray, or tear gas for sale on its website, though it does list accessories like smoke-resistant goggles and holders for mace, flash grenades, and smoke bombs. It’s unclear what ICE may have purchased.

ICE did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment.

Notably, ICE has never made a purchase with the PSC for “guided missile warheads and explosive components” in the past. The 2024 Federal Procurement Data System Manual lists eight other PSCs explicitly related to guided missiles—specifically, their components, repair equipment, and the trucks and trailers that transport them. ICE has never made purchases with any of these codes with a few exceptions, all of which appear to be coding errors, according to payment records reviewed by WIRED.

There is one record of an ICE payment to “Prestige Auto Collision" in November 2007 under the PSC for “maintenance” and “repair” of guided missiles. The payment record description, however, says that a “vehicle was rear ended” and needed to be repaired before it could be driven again. (There are two other payment records to the business in January 2008 and October 2020, but both are for $0 and appear to be administrative.) WIRED was unable to contact Prestige Auto Collision, which no longer exists at the location listed in the payment record.

ICE also made one payment to "Atlantic Driving Supply Incorporated" for $115,500 in 2007 under the PSC for "guided missile components." However, the description reads “Holographic sight,” which may simply refer to day scopes and binoculars sold by the company. (There is one other payment record to Atlantic Driving Supply from May 2017, but it is for $0 and also appears to be administrative.) ADS did not respond for comment.

In recent months, ICE has hugely escalated the scale and intensity of its operations, sparking protests around the country. ICE agents have often responded with the copious use of tear gas, pepper spray, and smoke.

This phenomenon has been particularly visible in Chicago and Portland. On Saturday in Portland, ICE agents used large amounts of tear gas and pepper spray against protesters. This week, a federal judge in Chicago questioned a Trump official on ICE agents’ use of the chemical agents, which have been used in close proximity to police officers and elementary schools in the city. Recently, officers threw a smoke bomb directly into a Chicago street after cars started beeping at them.