Mexico claims cartels have access to US military weapons, pushes investigation

[KARAH RUCKER]

GRENADES. ROCKET LAUNCHERS. MACHINE GUNS.

U-S MILITARY-GRADE EQUIPMENT IS MAKING ITS WAY INTO THE HANDS OF VIOLENT MEXICAN CARTELS.

AND THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT WANTS TO KNOW HOW.

MEXICO IS PUSHING THE U-S TO INVESTIGATE AND STEM THE FLOW OF ITS MILITARY-GRADE WEAPONS — ITEMS NEVER DESIGNED FOR CIVILIAN USE — INTO THE HANDS OF MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS–

MEXICO’S TOP DIPLOMAT ANNOUNCED THE LATEST ALARMING FINDINGS, SAYING THE GOVERNMENT HAD FOUND WEAPONS ENTERING HER COUNTRY THAT ARE FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF THE U.S. ARMY.

SOME TRAFFICKERS HAVE EVEN GONE SO FAR AS TO SHARE IMAGES OF THE WEAPONRY ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

MONDAY, THE U-S AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO, KEN SALAZAR, ADMITTED HE JUST BECAME AWARE OF DRUG CARTELS ACQUIRING U-S WEAPONRY LAST WEEK– DURING A MEETING WITH MEXICAN OFFICIALS. BUT HE NOW VOWS IT’S A PRIORITY OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO CURB THE ILLEGAL TRANSFER OF U-S MILITARY EQUIPMENT TO SMUGGLERS.

THE MEXICAN ARMY CONFIRMED IN JUNE IT CONFISCATED MORE THAN 220 MACHINE GUNS, NEARLY 60 GRENADE LAUNCHERS AND A DOZEN ROCKET LAUNCHERS FROM DRUG CARTELS SINCE LATE 20-18.

PART OF SOLVING THE PROBLEM IS FIGURING OUT WHERE THE U-S ARMS CAME FROM IN THE FIRST PLACE. THERE ARE SEVERAL THEORIES ON HOW THEY ENDED UP IN MEXICO– FROM LEFTOVER WEAPONRY DUE TO U-S ARMED CONFLICTS IN CENTRAL AMERICA IN THE 80S– TO WEAPONS MANUFACTURERS REPORTEDLY SELLING THEIR DEVICES ON THE BLACK MARKET.

AS VIOLENCE ESCALATES IN MEXICO, ADDING WEAPONS INTO THE FOLD MEANT FOR HIGHLY TRAINED SOLDIERS, BRINGS ANOTHER LAYER OF DANGER FOR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, WHO ACKNOWLEDGE, THEY’RE SOMETIMES OUTGUNNED BY CRIMINALS WITH REPORTED SELF-MADE ARMORED VEHICLES AND “BOMB-DROPPING” DRONES.

WHILE U-S MILITARY EQUIPMENT SEIZURES ARE A FRESHLY-ANNOUNCED DEVELOPMENT–

MEXICO HAS LONG-DEALT WITH VIOLENCE DUE TO DRUG CARTELS– AND IN MANY INSTANCES HAS BLAMED THE U-S FOR GUN DEATHS– PARTICULARLY U-S GUN MANUFACTURERS. THE BLACK MARKET FOR U-S-MADE CIVILIAN WEAPONS IS A LUCRATIVE BUSINESS– WITH THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT ESTIMATING AROUND 70 PERCENT OF WEAPONS ILLEGALLY TRAFFICKED INTO THE COUNTRY ARE FROM THE U-S.