All wars are fought with weapons, and the guns used to murder tens of thousands of people in the Mexican War on Drugs mostly come from America.From handguns,. WASHINGTON Convicted gun smuggler John Phillip Hernandez of Houston was likely not the kind of customer that Bushmaster Firearms International had in mind when he purchased 14 of the company's .223 caliber AR-15s at Houston area gun shops in 2006 and 2007. Criminal organizations operating in Tamaulipas, Guerrero, and Jalisco were the most armed in the country, at least in the last year. Some are Russian, some Cuban made. Tijuanas Director of Public Safety, Marco Antonio Sotomayor, says most of the guns flowing into his city come from north of the border. Its a very symbolic weapon in the narco world and for the narco esthetic, Grandmaison said. This is a carousel. In 2016, members of the Knights Templar cartel in Michoacan state allegedly downed a helicopter with an M82rifle, theMexicanlawsuit said. He pulls a paper bag out, takes out 10 grand in cash rubber-banded in thousand dollar increments. You don't buy five to six of the same 10k rifle for a collection. View of cartridges and weapons from the gangsters and drug-traffickers at the Military Headquarter in Mexico City, on November 7, 2008. Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. This story has been shared 164,095 times. The bridge connectsEagle Pass, Texas, to the Northern Mexicocity of Piedras Negras in the state of Coahuila. Officers found all of those brands, except Century Arms,in the shipments smuggled by Diaz, court records show. Newsweek, the defunct print magazine, reports that Mexican drug and crime cartels prefer American-made guns to use against their rivals and innocent Mexican civilians. It was going on all over the city -- we knew we weren't the only store -- you've got plenty of evidence, you know where they live. I mean all the enforcement is on the American side, very little exists on the Mexican side. The Barrett M82 was a serious problem for security forces because its armor-piercing bullets can knock out the motors of reconnaissance vehicles and endanger helicopters, said aMexicanofficial, who spoke on condition of anonymity. You have entered an incorrect email address! CJNG video shows off high-powered guns:Why a viral drug cartel video showing off tanks and taunts is bad news for the US. Miguel Diaz Calderon never made it out of Texas. I'm like, 'makes sense, he's a military kid.' For thecartels, the M82 has also become a status symbol. To lose that many military, cops, politicians and citizens murdered by gangsters is phenomenal. A roster of convicted cartel members, ex-smugglers and former Mexican officials testified that Garca Luna took millions of dollars in cartel cash, met with major traffickers and kept law. On the Shelf. When the Coen Brothers needed someone to show The Dude how to really roll, they could turn to only one man: Hall of Fame professional bowler Barry Asher. 6 Ugly Things I Learned Selling Guns To Drug Cartels. Automatic guns and rocket-propelled grenades follow drug trade routes back to China, Guatemala, and the black markets in Central and South America. Cartels seek out military-grade weapons, he said: "The bigger the better.". John Allen Muhammad, the D.C. sniper, and his youthful accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, used a Bushmaster .223 in nine of 10 sniper-style murders that terrorized the Washington area in 2002. Newsweek, the defunct print magazine, reports that Mexican drug and crime cartels prefer American-made guns to use against their rivals and innocent Mexican civilians. If Diaz had sneaked his arsenal past U.S. Customs officials, he would have had to pay a "piso," or fee, to members of the Crtel del Noreste,or CDN, which dominates this area of northern Mexico, Jonessaid. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to . El Mencho:Daughter of Mexican cartel boss sentenced to US prison for violation of Kingpin Act. Even the much worshiped pre-64 Winchester Model 70s were laughed at by the Europeans when they were first marketed even though the pre-war guns were not all that bad but workmanship after WWII went down rapidly at Winchester. Vasquez'sattorney, Silverio Martinez, said he plans to lobby for leniency, even probation, arguing this is his client's first arrest. A gold plated pistol and jewelry, allegedly seized from Manuel Alquisires Garcia, aka "El Meme," sit on display during his presentation to the press of in Mexico City, Monday Sept. 12, 2011. It was run by brothers Jorge Luis, Juan David, and Fabio Ochoa Vasquez; Pablo Escobar; Carlos Lehder; George Jung; and Jose Gonzalo Rodriguez. Coke was originally supposed to make you smarter or something. Court documents show such purchasers buying as many as 20 AK-47s at a time, paying as much as $11,000 in cash. Officers foundthree rifles, eight pistols, several magazines and more than 4,700 rounds, including a bag of bullets under Vasquez's seat and more ammunition wrapped in tape and plastic and tucked inside a hidden compartment between the exterior and interior paneling. Some of the reasons so many guns come from Texas: people can cross the border on land or by theRio Grande River, and"in places like Houston and San Antonio, theres a gun store on every corner, said Will Glaspy, formerly in charge of DEA's Houston Division. How in the hell can any society withstand such incredible violence and not crumble? Well short answer. https://www.judicialwatch.org/corruption-chronicles/law-enforcement-sources-gun-used-paris-terrorist-attacks-came-phoenix/. Also FN57 pistols but, the Barretts were the big one. Try again Jethro your out of your league. National Police Chief Gen. Oscar Naranjo, holds a handgun seized to Colombian drug lord and former paramilitary leader Pedro Guerrero Castillo, known as "Cuchillo" (Knife), as he speaks during a press conference in Bogota, Colombia, on December 29, 2010. Robert Evans just wrote a book, A Brief History of Vice, where he experiments with strange ancient drugs. NUEVO LAREDO, MexicoOn March 24 . Since the federal law banning assault weapons expired in 2004, so-called "straw purchasers" have flooded U.S. gun stores in the Southwest, mostly in Texas and Arizona, sweeping up these and other weapons. (zero miles currently built 1 mo gov shut down trump heights built tho??? In 2018, the homicide rate in Mexico hit a record high of 35,964, spiking 12 percent from the year before, according to the countrys National Institute of Statistics and Geography. Then, basic questions: Did you feel they knew what they were buying? Answer (1 of 16): There a ton of AK and Russian type military machine guns (I've seen a Russian equivalent 12.6 MM of the .50 caliber machine gun mounted on a truck. Last week, the Treasury sanctioned two Mexican businessmen and four Sinaloa Cartel members in connection with the illicit methamphetamine and fentanyl trade. Workers repair the facade of City Hall riddled with bullet holes in Villa Union, Mexico, in December 2019, after a gun battle between a heavily armed drug cartel assault group and security forces. Of theguns used in crimes in Mexico and traced back to the United States, about 41% camefrom Texas, he said. Its a weapon of war, added the official. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out another How To Solve The Country's Gun Problem, and watch other videos you won't see on the site! The weapons are sold to the cartels, often for three or four times the original price. 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Meanwhile, check out this picture of a gun cache from El Chapo's hide-out: That's a Barrett .50 caliber rifle, confirmed to have gotten to Mexico via the ATF's gun-running program. This made for an interesting customer service dilemma: How do you deal with a customer you know is: 1. Every once in a while, a dolt drops a gem. The underground trade of weapons to Mexico is worth hundreds of millions of dollars annuallywith American guns used to kill tens of thousands of Mexicans each year. MEXICO CITY, Aug 6 The flow of high-caliber arms smuggled across the porousUS border has alarmedMexicanofficials and few weapons are as powerful as theUS-made M82 semi-automaticrifleincreasingly favored by the powerfuldrugcartels. Since joining the Tulsa World in 1999, I have been a three-time winner of Oklahoma's top award for investigative . not mexican. NEW YORK (AP) A former Mexican presidential cabinet member was convicted in the U.S. on Tuesday of taking massive bribes to protect the violent drug cartels he was tasked with combating. And four years ago, two sons of El Chapo Guzmn were kidnapped in another restaurant 500 meters from where they shot the former governor two days ago. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Video shows gunman nonchalantly shoot homeless man execution-style in broad daylight, NJ man tried to board plane with handguns, AR-15, Taser, phony US Marshal badge, Parolee flaunted ghost gun on social media before weapons arrest: feds, Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed can keep gun at home: judge. "Their goal is the bulk purchase of maximum firepower.". In summer, a command intercepted a dozen tourists after being mistaken for members of a rival cartel. Into Mexico.. Our own government is gifting military weapons to Mexico & those arms are being used by the cartels. Straw purchases for others are a violation of federal firearms law. American guns are ok, and many of the gun companies from the above countries have some US manufacturing. Homeland Security teamed with the ATF tolauncha confidential tip line asking for help from the public, displaying the number on about 200 billboards near the border,asking for information on illegal guns bound for Mexico. weapons to Mexico. From the finest gems, to gold-plated weapons, law enforcement officials say these accused drug dealers have a passion for flashy things. "Almost all guns recovered at crime scenes in Mexico 70% to 90% of them were trafficked from the U.S.," the Mexican government claims in its complaint. These guys aren't stupid. But in all honesty the article above does not tell the whole truth about illegal guns in Mexico or South America as drug gangs also get guns from international arms traffickers as well, especially factory made full auto weapons. Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan argued against doubts raised by the National Rifle Association that ninety percent of all assault weapons seized in . A jeweler shows a gun butt made of gold, diamonds, emeralds and rubies to form the Mexican flag, for a 1911 pistol in Culiacan, Sinaloa state on July 12, 2011. Thanks for contacting us. Earlier in the week, more than one . Agents launched 534 investigations, seized $29 million and intercepted more than 1,200 guns, 4,700 magazines for semi-automatic and automatic weapons and 700,000 rounds of ammunition headed to. How Mexican drug cartels have caused a rapid increase in lime prices, putting a . A total of 852, 29 percent, were from Arizona. Or is it because the CA border is not a barrier to trafficking contraband? Evening roundup with our editors' favorite stories of the day . Alfred Guzman and Ivan Guzman are the sons of Joaqun (El Chapo) Guzmn Loera better known as the infamous kingpin of the Sinaloa cartel, which is North America's post powerful, and feared, organization trafficking drugs and laundering money worldwide. LMFAO. A Dallas man claimed he didn't knowassault rifles, pistols and ammunitionwere hidden in his silver SUV as he attempted to cross into Mexico from Laredo, Texas. At the same time, Mexico remains a cautionary preview of what might happen in America if we adopted Mexican-style gun control. While they had been gun-running since 2006, a 2011 report by the inspector general criticized the agency for dedicating too many resources to busting straw purchasers and not enough at busting the cartel guys doing the buying. So, you would come in, say hello, shoot the shit, ask him about his kid. This, by the way, is the Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle: It costs between $8,000 and $10,000, and it can literally put a bullet through most light tanks. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Modern optics, including AimPoint types and the distinctive Vism ECO 434 model were seen. The 5,114 figure is simply wrong. Because they could be doing a hell of a lot more to fight smuggling into the country and to protect their own good guy guns from being stolen. *awkward shrug*, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News/Getty Images. A museum in Mexico City has dozens of seized paraphilia on display. Its compactness makes it easy to conceal and some versions can hold a 30-round magazine, made of lightweight polymer. We know theyre being illegally trafficked through California into Tijuana. It's made it easier than ever to drive to any Texas gun shop and legally stockpile guns, whether or not the customers belong to a Mexican cartel. Diaz, who pleaded guilty, and Vasquezareawaiting sentencing. We know theyre being illegally trafficked through California into Tijuana.. Pass red flag laws. Hell, our source might have sold El Chapo that very rifle. In any case, "the trace itself doesn't tell you anything,"' said Lawrence Keane, general counsel for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Newtown, Conn.-based firearms industry trade group. Sorry not in todays world American guns have some of the shittyist workmanship that I have ever seen compared to the U.S. guns that were made in the distant past and even those were often nothing when compared to finely made European guns. Maybe if the border was more of an obstacle], Theres no way for people to buy guns like these in Mexico. Tell you what, you let me have what the Cartels are able to get from the Mexican Military and Ill let you have what I have now. He sent in the federal police along with army units in an attempt to eliminate high value . We were a large store you meet these border patrol agents coming to pick up extra stuff. The group decries the name "assault weapon" and refers to high-powered guns as "modern sporting rifles." You also said: The sheriff believes cartel coyotes are making between $1,000 and $1,500 for every person brought into the country. Now I cannot make this any more simple for you to understand. As Mexican drug groups cut in on avocado sales by extorting growers, armed locals fight back, Daughter of Mexican cartel boss sentenced to US prison for violation of Kingpin Act. Guns Drive Cartel Violence in Mexico. Pass a domestic terrorism bill.. After his arrest, Diaz told agents with Homeland Security Investigations he was paid $5,000 upfront to smuggle "fierros," Spanish for "iron," which he understood to be guns,across the border. The Hearst survey of court cases found these weapons among the top 10: The Belgian-made FN Herstal Five-SeveN: Some versions of this pistol hold 10 rounds; others have a 20-round capacity. FN Herstal PS90 rifle: It also fires the 5.7X28mm round. Once in the hands of cartel capos, however, the modern sporting rifle becomes very much an assault weapon. It fires 5.7X28mm cartridges, referred to as "mata policias" (cop killers) in Mexico because they can penetrate bulletproof vests. It weighs around 30 pounds and costs as much as a damn car. Id gut all weapons law and send any politician that suggest a new gun law to GitMo with a mandatory minimum sentence of life. Dear Mexico: clean up your own house before telling us how to take care of ours.. Reports suggest the Fast and Furious guns are tied to at least 69 killings. A Washington man drove to a U.S. border crossing last year in his teal Ford pickup truck loadedwith a hidden arsenal bound for a Mexican cartel war zone. 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I could have sworn that at one time there was a federal law that banned face masks, a law intended to force the KKK out into the open. A special investigative report in 2019 by TheCourier Journal warned of CJNG's ruthlessness in Mexico and its reach across the U.S. into small towns. If our source's store had just followed their guts and refused to sell to the most obviously sketchy buyers, the world would've been a little bit safer. November 23, 2022 Contact: Phone Number: (571) 387-3831 For Immediate Release Debt Collector and Drug Distributor for Cartel Connected, Violent, Drug Distribution Ring, Sentenced to 10 years in Prison Previous slide Next slide Handgun in leather holster Plastic bag of fentanyl pills Move slider to item #1 Move slider to item #2