90 Percent Come From Central America--Not USA

[middlefinger]

U.S. Embassy Cables: 90 Percent oxican Drug Cartels' Most Lethal Weapons Come From Central America--Not USA
Friday, April 01, 2011
By Edwin Mora



(CNSNews.com) -- The most lethal weapons used by drug cartels in Mexico are smuggled from Central America, not from the United States, according to U.S. Embassy cables unveiled by WikiLeaks, reported La Jornada, a leading newspaper in Mexico City.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City reportedly wrote the cables following three bilateral conferences on firearms trafficking that took place in Mexico between March 2009 and January 2010.

The cables from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City to the State Department in Washington, D.C., reported that lethal weapons, including anti-tank firearms and grenades, were stolen from military forces in Central America and then smuggled into Mexico through the Guatemala border, reported La Jornada on Mar. 29.

That information was in turn provided to officials at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosive (ATF ) component of the U.S. Department of Justice.

The cables noted a trend that was not detected between 2008 and 2009--that demand by drug trafficking organizations in Mexico for more firepower was increasing.

Drug cartels are increasingly demanding military-style arms such as grenades and light anti-tank weapons, in addition to guns that penetrate bullet-proof vests known as “cop killers” in Mexico, according to one cable.

Among the high-powered artillery that Mexican authorities were able to confiscate from drug cartels, 90 percent came from arsenals of armies in Central America, stated the the U.S. Embassy.

The cables do not provide specifics about the Central American countries involved or any supporting data about the allegations.

They do state, however, that the vast majority of the small artillery used by drug cartels, such as handguns and assault rifles, are smuggled from the United States.

Mexico drug war

A Tijuana police honor guard stands by as the hearse carrying state investigator Jose Miguel Guerra's remains leaves the Baja California attorney general's office after funeral services in Tijuana, Mexico, on Monday Jan. 10, 2011. Guerra was murdered by unknown gunmen outside his Tijuana home on Jan. 7. (AP Photo/Guillermo Arias)

The U.S. Embassy blamed the Mexican government for not devoting enough manpower to secure the international boundary that separates Mexico from Guatemala, according to the cables.

“While there are 30,000 U.S. CBP (Customs and Border Protection) officers on the 1,926 mile Mexican/U.S. border, only 125 Mexican immigration officials monitor the 577 mile border with Guatemala,” stated the embassy cables.

The Obama administration has repeatedly said that 90 percent of traceable guns seized from drug cartels in Mexico come from the United States, a rate that has been questioned by analysts.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/...nt-most-lethal

[PhillyAR]

I having been saying this all along. Why the hell would a criminal in mexico come to the USA, pay full retail price, and pay taxes on their guns when they can probably get them on the black market for cheaper then FFL wholesale cost ?

[IronSight]

I like how the article actually tries to say that we were originally told that "90% of traceable guns" came from the US.

Sure that's what the numbers said, but the politicians left out the "traceable" part originally and even now you'll still hear some of them say that "90% of guns" at Mexican crime scenes come from the US. Most of them only backtracked to the "traceable" line after it was revealed how glaringly wrong their original statements were.

[jerkin]

Though the article doesn't state 90% anywhere, it does say: "They do state, however, that the vast majority of the small artillery used by drug cartels, such as handguns and assault rifles, are smuggled from the United States."