Mexico filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in federal court in Boston, northeastern United States, against major US arms manufacturers, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Wednesday.

The minister denounced an "illicit trade" on Mexican territory which causes "direct damage" to the country.

Smith & Wesson, Beretta, Colt… on the dock

“We are confident in the legal quality of what we are presenting, we will plead with all the necessary seriousness.

We will win this trial and we will succeed in drastically reducing the illicit trafficking of arms in Mexico, ”Marcelo Ebrard added at a press conference.

Among the companies accused by Mexico include Smith & Wesson, Beretta, Colt, Glock, Century Arms, Ruger and Barrett, which produce more than 68% of the more than half a million weapons smuggled into Mexico each year, according to the information contained in the Mexican complaint.

Marcelo Ebrard said there was no precedent for the Mexican government "to participate in a dispute of this nature" in a US court, and that the move had the approval of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Demand that these manufacturers compensate the Mexican government

The foreign minister explained that the lawsuit aimed to have the manufacturers compensate the Mexican government for damage caused by their "negligent practices".

The complaint also calls for measures to "monitor and bring in line" manufacturers and distributors of weapons.

Marcelo Ebrard even accused American manufacturers of developing types of weapons especially for Mexican drug dealers.

“This is what these weapons are made for: to be bought.

They have more value, they have a different aesthetic and are used differently, ”explained the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

More than 17,000 murders in 2019

Illegal arms trafficking is at the heart of bilateral relations between Mexico and its American neighbor, which is the main market for the powerful drug cartels.

More than 17,000 murders in Mexico in 2019 involved the use of weapons illegally imported from the United States, according to Mexican government data.

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