this post was submitted on 23 Jan 2024
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Mexico wants an urgent investigation into how U.S. military-grade weapons are increasingly being found in the hands of Mexican drug cartels, Mexico’s top diplomat said Monday.

Mexico’s army is finding belt-fed machine guns, rocket launchers and grenades that are not sold for civilian use in the United States.

“The (Mexican) Defense Department has warned the United States about weapons entering Mexico that are for the exclusive use of the U.S. army,” Foreign Relations Secretary Alicia Bárcena said. “It is very urgent that an investigation into this be carried out.”

The Mexican army said in June that it had seized 221 fully automatic machine guns, 56 grenade launchers and a dozen rocket launchers from drug cartels since late 2018.

The military-grade U.S. weaponry — which cartels have bragged about and openly displayed on social media — poses a special challenge for Mexico’s army, which along with police and the National Guard already faces cartels operating homemade armored vehicles and bomb-dropping drones.

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[–] GregoryTheGreat@programming.dev 38 points 9 months ago (1 children)

They’re for sale to anyone that will destabilize their government. That’s how it works.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 24 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)
[–] JustZ@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Elon Musk has zero say in who we coup.

And also Mexico I'm pretty sure is part of north America.

[–] JJROKCZ@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago

Elon has the money to coup nations on his own, he doesn’t really need the cooperation of any government in funding and weaponizing dissidents

[–] ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

The United Fruit Company would like to have a word about this.

From Guatemala:

The United Fruit Company (UFC), whose highly profitable business had been affected by the softening of exploitative labor practices in Guatemala, engaged in an influential lobbying campaign to persuade the U.S. to overthrow the Guatemalan government

From Honduras:

The United Fruit Company, through its investment and influence, took on the role of nation-building in Central America throughout the first half of the twentieth century and is what one would call the epitome of U.S imperialism. The freedom granted to this company throughout Central America is one that is mostly indebted to the authoritarian regimes that assisted in their economic pillaging. Under the nickname of “Banana Republics,” many Central American nations were forced into a subservient relationship with the U.S. through their corporations.

From Colombia:

Hence, the UFC utilized its strong ties with the US government and, more specifically, the CIA. On December 6, 1928, the US government threatened to invade Colombia with the US Marine Corps that were stationed off the shores of Ciénaga should the Colombian government not act to protect the UFC’s interests. Concerned with this threat and its potential economic impact, the Colombian government decided to act in favor of the interests of the United Fruit Company.

[–] JustZ@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

What? Mexico is literally not in South America.

[–] taanegl@lemmy.world 30 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Has the CIA been giving the cartels more military equipment and weaponry again? Honestly, Mexico should build a wall, against the US government.

[–] Everythingispenguins@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

And make America pay for it. Wait that is already kind of happening. Has this been the plan all along?

[–] bhmnscmm@lemmy.world 23 points 9 months ago (2 children)
[–] Deceptichum@kbin.social 1 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Just reading that and it doesn’t exactly sound like how you’re implying it is.

They put trackers in the guns to in theory be able to follow the flow of them and see how they were getting to Mexico.

Technically it’s selling them (indirectly) but realistically it’s goal was to stop the sale long term.

[–] TragicNotCute@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago (1 children)

During Operation Fast and Furious, the largest gunwalking probe, the ATF monitored the sale of about 2,000 firearms, of which only 710 were recovered as of February 2012. A number of straw purchasers have been arrested and indicted; however, as of October 2011, none of the targeted high-level cartel figures had been arrested.

Critically, the GPS battery life was only a few days and the GPS weapon "tracker" signal was routinely lost especially in car trunks.[8] This lack of technical sophistication and failure of GPS as a tracker, were the major reasons for Fast and Furious failure as an ATF operation.

Call it what you want and imply what you want, it was a critical failure by all account that ultimately armed the cartels further.

[–] Deceptichum@kbin.social -5 points 9 months ago

That’s it? A whopping 2,000 guns from the country that has close to 400 million guns floating around?

There are more fucking guns than people and you’re acting like 2,000 guns being deliberately put out there is a big deal?

A failure yes, but really not a big deal compared to what results it could have led to if the GPS trackers worked a bit better.

[–] JustZ@lemmy.world -1 points 9 months ago

It's not. This was a fake scandal. Nothing actually controversial about it.

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 19 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I'd bet 20 bucks its some cops in texas

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 7 points 9 months ago

I'd bet 20 bucks they buy direct from the manufacturer.

[–] Coasting0942@reddthat.com 17 points 9 months ago

Fucking breaking bad had more ethics on weapon sales to Mexico

[–] JimmyBigSausage@lemm.ee 15 points 9 months ago

Welcome to America, Mexico.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Somebody get Stanley Stupid on the case. I mean, you'll have just about as much luck with him as you would our congress actually getting anything done.

We all know why this is happening. The wheels are flying off this fucking turkey. Corruption isn't just rampant, its the norm.

[–] CyberDine@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] JJROKCZ@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)
[–] DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

We should meme it more, it's got something for everyone.

Doris Roberts, weed, videogames, and...

Well, mainly those three things.

[–] JJROKCZ@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

Jonah hill sucking on tiddies, androids, ddr

[–] aniki@lemm.ee 7 points 9 months ago

Mexico can demand all they want. The State Department will do fuckall about it. Hell, the CIA will probably send more.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

10 Lemmy bucks says ~~Ft. Hood~~ Ft. Cavazos is involved.

[–] ghostdoggtv@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

DOD can't pass an audit, hmmm wonder where it all went.

[–] trackcharlie@lemmynsfw.com 4 points 9 months ago

The reason is the same as Abu Sayyaf, al Queda, ISIL and other terror organizations get their hands on US or western made weapons.

Arms dealers don't care about borders and exist specifically to spite those borders.

[–] dan1101@lemm.ee 4 points 9 months ago

With all the drug money the cartels get from selling drugs to Americans they will get guns from somewhere, it's just a matter of where.

[–] Sprokes@jlai.lu 3 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Either the US is selling them to the cartels or the corrupted Mexican gouvernement. I bet it is both.

[–] Che_Donkey@lemmy.ml 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

My money is on the Texas local, city & state police offloading their old US military hardware for a good markup while obtaining more from the Gov.

[–] Everythingispenguins@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

As much as that is probably happening. Even Texas couldn't justify giving the police rocket launchers.

[–] EdibleFriend@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

Yeah sure of course this is a problem too.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world -2 points 9 months ago

it had seized 221 fully automatic machine guns, 56 grenade launchers and a dozen rocket launchers from drug cartels since late 2018

That's all they got in 7-years?! That's a pretty puny armory.