Mexico asks U.S. to cooperate in investigation into military weapons smuggling

　　China News Service, Beijing, January 23 - Mexico City News: According to foreign media reports, Mexican Foreign Minister Bárcena said on the 22nd local time that more and more US military weapons are flowing into Mexican criminal organizations, and Mexico hopes that the United States can urgently deal with related issues. investigation.

　　Mexico's El Financiero newspaper said that Bárcena told the media during a presidential meeting that day that Mexico asked the United States to urgently launch an investigation into the smuggling of military weapons.

She did not disclose details such as the quantity and route of weapons flowing into Mexico, but only emphasized that the investigation of this issue is "extremely urgent."

According to reports, since the end of 2018, Mexican officials have seized at least 221 machine guns, 56 grenade launchers, and more than a dozen rocket launchers. These weapons are prohibited from being sold to ordinary people in the United States.

　　Mexico’s Excélsior reported that U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar responded that day that he was aware of Mexico’s concerns and promised that the U.S. would cooperate with Mexico in investigating the matter.

Salazar said the United States is strengthening patrols along the U.S.-Mexico border to reduce arms smuggling.

The Supremacy newspaper said that the Mexican government estimates that criminal organizations have caused losses of up to 15 billion U.S. dollars using weapons smuggled into Mexico from the United States.

　　The Associated Press analyzed that U.S. military weapons may enter Mexico through multiple channels.

First of all, in the 1980s, due to the outbreak of civil wars in many Central American countries, American weapons were used in large quantities in the relevant countries.

Secondly, weapons sometimes go missing from the U.S. military’s arsenal.

Third, some weapons suppliers to the US military will sell some products directly to foreign countries or the black market.

　　The Associated Press said that in recent years, Mexican criminal organizations have continued to obtain U.S. military weapons and blatantly "exhibited" them on social media.

The escalating firepower of criminals has posed huge challenges to Mexican police. Law enforcement officers have even encountered homemade armored vehicles and bomb-dropping drones made by criminal organizations.

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