Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that if the U.S. wants to see a decrease in drug trafficking, it should stop the flow of weapons across the border.
Sheinbaum made the remarks during a trip to Sinaloa, a state long beleaguered by cartel violence. She visited the region along with other top officials to show support.
"Sinaloa is work, tourism. Let the neighbors and the entire world listen to this. Long live Culiacan and long live Sinaloa. No matter how difficult problems are, we will get ahead if we remain together," she said.
Elsewhere in the address, Sheinbaum linked ongoing violence with weapons trafficking from the U.S.: "They need to do their part so weapons stop being smuggled from the U.S. and into Mexico," she said.
A recent report detailed that cartels managing to get a hold of high-caliber ammunition from a plant set up in a facility owned by the U.S. government and manufactures rounds used by the military.
The facility in question is located outside Kansas City and also supplies ammunition to the retail market, where civilians can buy them as well. Such a scenario has allowed criminal organizations to get a hold of the rounds, used by the military to destroy vehicles and light aircraft.
The New York Times and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists shed light on agreements between the Army and private contractors, which have allowed the rounds to enter retail markets and end up in the hands of cartels.
The outlet noted that since 2012 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has seized over 40,000 rounds of the ammunition in states bordering Mexico. Those from the facility in Kansas City, called Lake City, accounted for a third of all seizures, more than any other manufacturers.
The outlet had reported last year that cartels are immersed in an arms race and getting as sophisticated as paramilitary groups. The groups are also often using improvised explosive devices, modified drones and heavy weaponry, further increasing their lethality.
The outlet also quoted authorities who documented the use of mines, rocket-propelled grenades and armored trucks with mounted machine guns, developments that have led to the death of civilians in the country.
Many of these weapons come from the U.S., with the Mexican government historically requesting its American counterpart to do more to stem the flow and even filing a lawsuit against manufacturers, an initiative that has been struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Cartels are also known to produce parts with 3D printers and have also reversed-engineered some designs.
Originally published on Latin Times
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
