CDMX (Times Media Mexico) – General Luis Cresencio Sandoval, Secretary of National Defense (SEDENA), revealed in a press conference, the multiple ways in which illegal weapons are brought into the country from the United States.
The Mexican general explained, that organized crime uses objects such as soft drink containers, washing machines, gasoline tanks, toy boxes, parts of cargo cars and passenger cars, among others to smuggle arms into Mexico.
The majority of the vehicles have modifications in its structure, in order to hide the weapons. Some are private, some are cargo vehicles.
During President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s morning conference at the National Palace, Sandoval explained that cartridges, bullets and even entire assault weapons can enter through these conduits.
In multiple ocassions in Tijuana’s Customs, live rounds of different calibers have been found inside bottles of soft drinks.
For example, in the San Emeterio, Sonora Customs Office, a trailer was seized containing 55,000 cartridges of different high calibres, 18 assault weapons, one hand gun and 12 grenade launchers.
Also at Customs in Sonoyta, Sonora, the following weapons were found:
- Under the seats of multiple passenger trucks: weapons and cartridges
- Inside the accumulators of a trailer: 2,985 hidden cartridges.
- In a gasoline tank of a truck: 5,694 rounds of ammunition, 3 small pistols, one sniper rifle and 12 magazines.
- In the driver’s cabin: 9 assault weapons, 15 magazines and 15 rounds of ammunition.
Other customs offices have also detected:
- Up to 1,000 cartridges and 5 assault rifles in car doors
- Three small machine guns inside a television set
- 100 cartridges inside chocolate powder
- Three sniper rifles inside a washing machine
Where do illegal weapons come from in Mexico?
The head of the Sedena mentioned that 70% of the weapons that come into Mexico come from the United States and 30% come from Europe, particularly those manufactured in Spain, Italy and Austria.
He explained that those weapons that come from the United States come from:
- 41% Texas
- 19% California
- 15% Arizona
- 25% the rest of the US
Other entering points by land are:
- San Diego-Tijuana
- El Paso-Ciudad Juárez
- Laredo-New Laredo
- McAllen-Reynosa
- Brownsville-Matamoros
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