The conventional wisdom is that the Mexican Cartels get their guns from the U.S. The usual culprits are gun shows, sleazy gun dealers who knowingly sell to "straw" buyers and, of course, guns stolen in the U.S. in the course of burglaries.
The usual number we hear is that 90% of the guns confiscated in Mexico can be traced back to the U.S. The truth is, that of all the guns confiscated by the law in Mexico, only a small percentage can actually be traced. And of that small percentage, 90% came from the U.S. No one has ever presented a clear picture of where the rest of the "untraceable" guns come from.
With the recent extradition of Viktor Bout, the notorious ex-Soviet military arms smuggler, it's worth considering once again the scope and volume of international illegal weapons trafficking. Below are two images of weapons confiscated after a huge firefight with a Cartel.
The lower image shows a suitcase full of loose hand grenades and linked grenades. Like the RPG, there's no way these came from the U.S. through the "accepted" avenues of gun shows, straw buyers or burglaries. Those linked grenades are made to be fired from a full-auto grenade launcher. I'm not well-versed enough to determine which grenade launcher fires this particular round but the Russians, Chinese, U.S., Germans and virtually every arms-building country in the world has some version of a full-auto grenade launcher.
Did this stuff come from Viktor Bout or some other arms peddler? Probably. For sure it didn't come from a gun show or a kitchen table gun dealer.
Other images exist of confiscated equipment that isn't as sexy as the parade of firepower on display above. Here we're talking about Satphones linked to transponders on Chinese comms satellites, fully encrypted military radios with either Chinese, Korean or Russian markings and other fun stuff like plastique, remote controlled detonators and NVGs.
The simple fact of the matter is that Cartels can get anything they want on the clandestine weapons market. They've got the deep pockets to buy anything and they control the ports of entry.
7 comments:
So what our are options Wally? Armies of crazy addicts wandering our communities looking for a car or home to break into or a massive costly and eternal war on drugs. Anyone got a quarter. Let's flip for it.
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If the drug problem was treated as the medical problem it is, and sufferers were able to obtain their medication at sensible prices, as sufferers from alcohol and nicotine addiction already can, then criminality would be reduced to a minimum, and drug dealers and the cartels would be put out of business.
While I'm all for total legalization of drugs (educate, tax, regulate)- that is not going to put these cartels out of business - they run whole states in Mexico and have their hands in everything. They are in some ways pure capitalists and will find ways of making money and staying in power. We are fucked.
"Drug dealers and the cartels would be put out of business".Yes, but you can bet they wont be getting 9 to 5's.For example, the bad economy and cartel wars are a major reason for the uprise in kidnaps for ransom.If one believes,thats Mexico's problem,think again. Legalization of drugs would create a civil war in Mexico.If this happens you will have US military intervention
(more $ spent)and immigrants seeking political asylum.
Sean D is right, "they run whole states in Mexico and have their hands in everything. They are in some ways pure capitalists and will find ways of making money and staying in power. We are fucked".
It's easy to say "legalize it and the problem will leave". Are you going to deal with all the addicts that do get out of control? Or complain about the "rules" that come with the legalization? Whine about the prison population, and ALL that comes with prisons, when the rules are violated? Expect things to be a certain way, and when they're not, "picket" the government when it didn't turn out the way you think it shold have?
Like Prop. 8, it went to the voters and they voted. Sorry, it didn't pass....had your chance, but because it's not what "they" wanted, it's time to complain.
No way, legalizing it is not the answer. Too many drug addicts here. Ever notice how "The war on grugs" is really only fought here, for here, about here???
MAYBE, A LO MEJOR, JUST MAYBE, LEGALIZING BOTH, FUSCAS AND CHINGADERAS, MAYBE THAT WILL CALM THINGS DOWN UNA MADRES, SO THAT THE FOLKS DOWN THERE CAN TAKE A BREATHER.. CHINGADO MAN, ITS LIKE THE PRIOR MEXICO PRES VICENTE FOX SAID SO NOT TOO LONG AGO. FOX SAID, WHY SHOULD MEXICO CONTINUE TO FIGHT AMERICA'S GUERRA CONTRA LAS DROGAS ON MEXICAN TERRITORY AND PAY FOR IT WITH MEXICAN SANGRE? FOX SAID TO LEGALIZE IT, AND LET THE NORTE-AMERICANOS HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT FULL BLOWN IN THEIR OWN YARDA.. FOX ASKED HOW COME EVERYTHING IS ALL PINNED ON THE MEXICAN CARTELES? HOW COME U.S. LAW ENFORCEMENT AND GOVERNMENT DO NOT WANT TO LET IT BE KNOWN THAT THE PROBLEM IS NOT OVERTHERE, BUT THAT PROBLEMA IS RIGH HERE.. THIS IS WHERE THE GREEN PESOS COME FROM, THIS IS WHERE THE LAVANDERIAS ARE, THIS IS WHERE THE METRAS AND CARTUCHOS COME FROM.. THIS IS WHERE EVERYONE PUFFS, DROPS, INHALE OR CHUG IT DOWN, QUE NO? SO IF THE PEDO IS ALL RIGHT HERE, THEN LET IT BE DEALT WITH AQUI MERO! VENENO IS HERE EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK EN AMERICA.. SO HOW COME WITH ALL THE CACA GETTING INTERCEPTED, AND ALL THE SO-CALLED PROBLEMAS AT THE BORDERLANDS, HOW COME NOBODY EVER PUTS THE LIGHT ON THE HOME COMSUMPTION AND WHAT IT CREATES? HOW COME IT ALWAYS GOT TO BE LA EME, OR EL AFC, OR ANYONE ELSE FROM OUT OF THE COUNTRY? MAYBE SOME FOLKS LIKE IT LIKE THAT.. TU SABES, ALL DOWN LOW.. TODO QUIET SO THAT EVERYONE DOES THEIR LITTLE FERIA AND HAVE A COMFORTABLE CAREER, HAVE A LITTLE INVESTMENT TO RETIRE ON, DO A LITTLE BETTER IN LIFE THAN THE POOR HOUSE AND TURN A LITTLE BLIND EYE TO REALITY.. JUST LET IT RIDE.. LET THE GAME BE PLAYED LIKE EVERYONE KNOWS HOW TO PLAY THE GAME.. DON'T KILL THE ACTION, CAUSE THEN NOBODY GOT ANYTHING TO PLAY WORTH WHILE.. ITS LIKE A TRUE CONSPIRACY OF A WHOLE NATION, TO REMAIN DUPED BY ITSELF AND THINK THAT THE PROBLEM WITH DRUGS COMES FROM VIOLENT PRONE MEXICO.. THE CARTELS IN ESSENCE WORK FOR THE MAN.. BUT THEY PLAY THE GAME THE ONLY WAY THEY KNOW HOW, WITH VIOLENCE.. AND HERE, THEY PLAY THE GAME THE ONLY WAY THEY KNOW HOW, WITH DENIAL.. MAYBE FOX SHOULD OF LEGALIZED IT WHEN HE DID HIS SIX YEARS.. NAH, THEY WOULD OF LIT A FIRE UNDER THE OLLA AND COOKED HIS CULO EN ACIDO FOR EVEN HINTING ON IT.. EAZY TO TALK AND OPINE ON A SERIO ISSUE AFTER THE FACT, AND NOT NO SOONER.. ITS LIKE WHEN AN EX-EMERO TURNED STATE DOES IT, WRITES A BOOK AFTER THE FACT, AND NOT NO SOONER.. HOW DOES IT GO? ROLE PLAYING.. JUEGALA.. PLAY BY THE UNWRITTEN RULES, 'CAUSE THAT'S HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED AND NOBODY CAN'T THINK OUT OF THE BOX FOR ONE TIC TOCK.. TO DO SO, WOULD BE SUICIDE TO THE SYSTEM.. BEST KEEP THE WAR ON DRUGS FOR REALS OUTSIDE WHERE GENTE DON'T SEE IT FULL BLOWN ON THEIR YARDAS.. LET MEXICO BE THE FIELD OF PLAY.. BUT HERE IN THE U.S. LET US CONTINUE TO LIVE A HAPPY HIGH LIFE, WITH NICE GREEN LAWNS AROUND THE CHANTE, PRICEY SUNSHADES, FIRME RANFLAS TO NAVIGATE THE LAND IN, Y TODO, YOU KNOW, BE COOL
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