Mexico and the United States have reached an agreement to enhance scrutiny of arms trafficking by implementing an electronic tracking system for firearms confiscated from criminal organizations, announced Mexican Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez on Wednesday.
Rodriguez stated during a press conference, “The United States and Mexico have agreed to the electronic monitoring of all the firearms seized in our country from criminal organizations.”
High-ranking officials from both nations have been discussing the flow of firearms from the United States into Mexican cartels, which engage in drug trafficking, including the distribution of substances like fentanyl within the U.S.
In the press conference, incoming foreign minister Alicia Barcena expressed, “We want the United States to help us so we can stop this flow because this is what strengthens the cartels.”
Barcena further explained that the objective of the plan is to trace the locations where guns are discovered in Mexico, in order to facilitate informed strategies for seizures. However, neither official provided specific details about the plan’s breadth and depth.
Highlighting data from the defense ministry, Barcena indicated that approximately 200,000 weapons enter Mexico on an annual basis.
One of Mexico’s primary proposals to the U.S. is the revocation of licenses for gun stores that sell firearms to cartels. Barcena disclosed that other proposals include heightened oversight of license providers, increased seizures, and more arrests targeting not only middlemen.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), around 70% of firearms utilized in crimes and subsequently seized in Mexico originate from the United States. This percentage rises to roughly 80% in the Caribbean region.
Barcena affirmed that the proposals have received a positive response, following Mexico urging a U.S. appeals court to revive a $10 billion lawsuit supported by numerous Caribbean countries. The lawsuit seeks to hold U.S. gun manufacturers accountable for facilitating arms trafficking to drug cartels across the U.S.-Mexico border.
(Reporting by Raul Cortes, Adriana Barrera, and Sarah Morland; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
