Mexico's Massive Illegal Weapons Coming From China and the U.s

by Michael Webster: Investigative Reporter June 22,in U.S. source firearms that have either been
2008 9:00 pm PDTrecovered in Mexico, or interdicted prior to reaching
William Hoover, Assistant Director for Field OperationsMexico, ATF also routinely seizes small arms and
of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms andassault rifle ammunition destined for Mexico. ATF
Explosives (ATF), recently told the United Stateshas also seized large quantities of .50 caliber
House of Representatives Committee on Foreignammunition for use in high-caliber long range sniper
Affaires Subcommittee on the Western Âweapons and machine gangs.
Hemisphere that the violence fueled by Mexico's drugÂ
cartels poses a serious challenge for both U.S. andThe National Association of Retired Border Patrol
Mexican Law Enforcement in that the drug traffickingAgents reported that the following are the first
related violence is threatening the well being andparagraphs of a long editorial found in Diario de
safety of citizens on both sides of the border. Mr.Xalapa (Xalapa, Veracruz), a member of "O.E.M.",
Williams is in charge of operations of all of the(A Mexican editorial organization ) a large media chain
Bureau's field offices, including those along theof 70 newspapers in Mexico. This particular column
Southwest Border.was found to have been removed from this and
Âother "O.E.M." sites when they returned to it later
Mr. Hoover pointed out that the ATF has long beentoday.
committed to investigating and disrupting groups andÂ
individuals who utilize firearms trafficking as a means(SEC) "The alarming figures about crimes committed
to facilitate the drug trade on both sides of theby the underworld in Mexico, which overall since Dec.
border through the use of firearms illegally obtained in1, 2006 to date surpass 4,800 executions,
the U.S. and subsequently smuggled into Mexico.Âdemonstrate that in the country organized crime, the
Mexican President Calderon and Attorney Generalguerilla and narcotraffic have in their hands as many
Medina Mora have identified the cartel-relatedweapons as the national government.
violence as a top priority and have proclaimed theThe main clandestine entry of weapons into the
illegal trafficking of U.S.-sourced firearms the "numbercountry is done through the northern border and the
one" crime problem affecting the security of MexicoPacific, originating from the big American firms and
today.from China, where there is no control for the
Âtransfer of weapons produced by their five gigantic
Public safety along the U.S.-Mexico border hasfirearms industries factories. For Georgina Sanchez, a
deteriorated considerably and Mexico has seen nearlyresearcher with the Latin American Social Sciences
five years of intensified bloody turf battles between("FLACSO") in Mexico, there is an amount estimated
the major Mexican drug cartels operating withinat between 12 and 20 million high power firearms,
Mexico. The ATF claim that the battles formostly AK-47s from China, and 40 million pistols and
control over lucrative narco-corridors into the U.S.rifles, the majority of them in the hands of guerilla
from Mexico are the result of intense U.S. andfighters, narcotraffickers and organized crime.
Mexican law enforcement and militaryÂ
counter-narcotics operations and extraditions thatAs hard as one might fight (because in Mexico no
commenced in late 2003 targeting the leaders of theone has declared war on anyone else since the EZLN
most prolific Mexican drug cartels. In seeking todid so on Jan. 1, 1994) against the criminals, nothing
gain control of the disputed corridors, namely thewill be accomplished by the federal, state and city
Baja/Tijuana, Sonora/Nogales, Juarez/ Chihuahua andgovernments as long as firearms traffic is not
Nuevo Laredo corridors, Mexican drug cartels andbrought to a halt."
their ruthless Mexican and American gang enforcersAs such, ATF is working with Mexican officials to
have more aggressively turned to the U.S. as aincrease their current usage of ATF's eTrace system.
source of firearms. The weapons are then usedeTrace provides web based access to ATF's
against other cartels, the Mexican Military, MexicanFirearms Tracing System to allow law enforcement
and U.S. law enforcement officials, as well as innocentboth domestically and internationally the ability to
civilians on both sides of the border.trace data from firearms seized in connection with a
Âcriminal investigation. eTrace allows law
The ATF says that the intelligence gathered by themenforcement to access their trace results directly and
and other domestic Federal law enforcement entitiesoffers the ability to generate statistical reports to
indicates that the cartels or as they like to call themanalyze their trace data to determine firearms
DTOs have tasked their money laundering,trafficking trends or patterns. In addition, ATF is
distribution and transportation apparatuses, all ofdeveloping Memorandums of Understanding with
which reach across the border into the United States,Mexico to provide e Trace training to nine consulates
to acquire firearms for illegal transfer back to Mexicoin Mexico. This initiative should increase the
for use in facilitating narco-trafficking and otheramount of trace information Mexico provides to ATF
criminal activities.each year.
ÂÂ
In analyzing the data collected through ATF'sATF is also part of the Administration's recently
investigative and regulatory operations that haveannounced "Merida initiative."Â Mr. Hoover told the
been focused on the abatement of illegal firearmscommittee "This initiative is a comprehensive U.S.
trafficking to Mexico, there is more than enoughstrategy to address drug smuggling, firearms
evidence to indicate that over 90 percent of thetrafficking, and increasing violence in Mexico and
firearms that have either been recovered in, orCentral America.  If the FY 2008 supplemental
interdicted in transport to Mexico, originated fromis enacted, ATF would receive $2 million through the
various sources within the United States. Aninitiative to assist in the expansion of Spanish eTrace
in-depth, comprehensive analysis of firearms traceto countries in the Central America region. Â
data over the past three years shows that Texas,Funding would also be used to deploy an ATF
Arizona and California are the three most prolificregional advisor to Central American countries to
source states, respectively, for firearms illegallyassist them with firearms trafficking issues. As
trafficked to Mexico.part of the proposed Spanish eTrace expansion, ATF
Âwould provide training to Mexican and Central
Until recently, the Mexican drug cartels "weapons ofAmerican countries to ensure that the technology is
choice" had been .38 caliber handguns. However,utilized to the greatest extent possible."
recent trace data of firearms seized in Mexico andÂ
"Stateside" interdictions of firearms bound for MexicoSources:
shows that cartel members and gang enforcers haveÂ
now developed a preference for higher quality, moreNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FORMER BORDER
powerful weapons. The most common of thesePATROL OFFICERS
firearms now includes the Colt AR-15 .223 caliberUnited States House of Representatives Committee
assault rifle, the AK-47 "type/variant" 7.62 caliberon Foreign Affaires Subcommittee on the Western
assault rifle, FN 5.57 caliber pistols (better known in Hemisphere
Mexico as the "Cop Killer"… or "Asesino de laMexican Federal Government
Policia"). In conjunction with the dramatic increase"O.E.M.