Monday, May 11, 2009

Juarez One of Major Four Gateways To Mexico For Illegal Arms Shipments

Corrected at 9:30 a.m. in response to a comment.

Hérika Martínez Prado reports today in Norte that Cd. Juarez is one of four major corridors through which illegal traffic in weapons crosses over from the United States. The corridor runs from Juarez to Chihuahua, from Chihuahua to Durango, from Durango to Guadalajara, from Guadalajara to Morelia (Michoacan), from Morelia to Chilpancingo (Guerrero), and it ends in Oaxaca. All along this route, illegal weapons are dropped off, reaching the hands of an increasing number of citizens, including minors. As of now authorities have not been able to identify any large-scale gun trafficking organizations. The traffic is small-scale and ant-like, with delivery of only a few weapons at a time.

According to the the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)90% of the guns introduced into Mexico come from U.S. traffickers near the border, mostly in Texas. The report in Norte asserts there are more than 100,000 persons near the border on the U.S. side who sell guns legally through gun shows, and President Felipe Calderon a few weeks ago indicated there are 10,000 points of sale along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Joint Operation Chihuahua, which began in March of 2008, thus far has confiscated 1548 weapons in the region, 805 of which are handguns.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am sorry but you need to check your facts. There is no such thing as either a state permit in Texas or a federal permit to sell guns at gunshows. No permit is required for a citizen to sell guns at gunshows.
Also, the Barrett 50 caliber you speak of that was siezed was not a machine gun. It is a bolt action rifle.

Jose Z. Garcia said...

I stand corrected. It is even easier than I thought for gun runners selling on the black market to Mexico to obtain weapons in Texas. There are several news sources in Juarez that have classified the confiscated Barret as a machine gun. I will correct the posting.