Mexico's Massive Illegal Weapons Coming From China and the U.s

William Hoover, Assistant Director for Field Operationsfor Mexico.  ATF has also seized large quantities of
of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and.50 caliber ammunition for use in high-caliber long range
Explosives (ATF), recently told the United Statessniper weapons and machine gangs.
House of Representatives Committee on Foreign 
Affaires Subcommittee on the Western  HemisphereThe National Association of Retired Border Patrol
that the violence fueled by Mexico’s drug cartelsAgents reported that the following are the first
poses a serious challenge for both U.S. and Mexicanparagraphs of a long editorial found in Diario de
Law Enforcement in that the drug trafficking relatedXalapa  (Xalapa, Veracruz), a member of
violence is threatening the well being and safety of“O.E.M.”, (A Mexican editorial organization ) a
citizens on both sides of the border. Mr. Williams is inlarge media chain of 70 newspapers in Mexico. This
charge of operations of all of the Bureau’s fieldparticular column was found to have been removed
offices, including those along the Southwest Border.from this and other ”O.E.M.” sites when they
 returned to it later today.
Mr. Hoover pointed out that the ATF has long been 
committed to investigating and disrupting groups and(SEC) "The alarming figures about crimes committed
individuals who utilize firearms trafficking as a meansby the underworld in Mexico, which overall since Dec. 1,
to facilitate the drug trade on both sides of the border2006 to date surpass 4,800 executions, demonstrate
through the use of firearms illegally obtained in the U.S.that in the country organized crime, the guerilla and
and subsequently smuggled into Mexico.  Mexicannarcotraffic have in their hands as many weapons as
President Calderon and Attorney General Medinathe national government.
Mora have identified the cartel-related violence as aThe main clandestine entry of weapons into the
top priority and have proclaimed the illegal trafficking ofcountry is done through the northern border and the
U.S.-sourced firearms the “number one” crimePacific, originating from the big American firms and
problem affecting the security of Mexico today.from China, where there is no control for the transfer
 of weapons produced by their five gigantic firearms
Public safety along the U.S.-Mexico border hasindustries factories. For Georgina Sanchez, a
deteriorated considerably and Mexico has seen nearlyresearcher with the Latin American Social Sciences
five years of intensified bloody turf battles between(”FLACSO”) in Mexico, there is an amount
the major Mexican drug cartels operating withinestimated at between 12 and 20 million high power
Mexico. The ATF claim that the  battles for controlfirearms, mostly AK-47s from China, and 40 million
over lucrative narco-corridors into the U.S. frompistols and rifles, the majority of them in the hands of
Mexico are the result of intense U.S. and Mexican lawguerilla fighters, narcotraffickers and organized crime.
enforcement and military counter-narcotics operations 
and extraditions that commenced in late 2003 targetingAs hard as one might fight (because in Mexico no one
the leaders of the most prolific Mexican drug cartels. has declared war on anyone else since the EZLN did
In seeking to gain control of the disputed corridors,so on Jan. 1, 1994) against the criminals, nothing will be
namely the Baja/Tijuana, Sonora/Nogales, Juarez/accomplished by the federal, state and city
Chihuahua and Nuevo Laredo corridors, Mexican druggovernments as long as firearms traffic is not brought
cartels and their ruthless Mexican and American gangto a halt."
enforcers have more aggressively turned to the U.S.As such, ATF is working with Mexican officials to
as a source of firearms. The weapons are then usedincrease their current usage of ATF’s eTrace
against other cartels, the Mexican Military, Mexican andsystem. eTrace provides web based access to
U.S. law enforcement officials, as well as innocentATF’s Firearms Tracing System to allow law
civilians on both sides of the border.enforcement both domestically and internationally the
 ability to trace data from firearms seized in connection
The ATF says that the intelligence gathered by themwith a criminal investigation.  eTrace allows law
and other domestic Federal law enforcement entitiesenforcement to access their trace results directly and
indicates that the cartels or as they like to call themoffers the ability to generate statistical reports to
DTOs have tasked their money laundering, distributionanalyze their trace data to determine firearms
and transportation apparatuses, all of which reachtrafficking trends or patterns.  In addition, ATF is
across the border into the United States, to acquiredeveloping Memorandums of Understanding with
firearms for illegal transfer back to Mexico for use inMexico to provide e Trace training to nine consulates
facilitating narco-trafficking and other criminal activities.in Mexico.  This initiative should increase the amount
 of trace information Mexico provides to ATF each
In analyzing the data collected through ATF’syear.
investigative and regulatory operations that have been 
focused on the abatement of illegal firearms traffickingATF is also part of the Administration’s recently
to Mexico, there is more than enough evidence toannounced “Merida initiative.”  Mr. Hoover told
indicate that over 90 percent of the firearms that havethe committee "This initiative is a comprehensive U.S.
either been recovered in, or interdicted in transport tostrategy to address drug smuggling, firearms
Mexico, originated from various sources within thetrafficking, and increasing violence in Mexico and
United States.  An in-depth, comprehensive analysisCentral America.   If the FY 2008 supplemental is
of firearms trace data over the past three yearsenacted, ATF would receive $2 million through the
shows that Texas, Arizona and California are theinitiative to assist in the expansion of Spanish eTrace
three most prolific source states, respectively, forto countries in the Central America region.   Funding
firearms illegally trafficked to Mexico.would also be used to deploy an ATF regional advisor
 to Central American countries to assist them with
Until recently, the Mexican drug cartels “weaponsfirearms trafficking issues.  As part of the proposed
of choice” had been .38 caliber handguns. Spanish eTrace expansion, ATF would provide training
However, recent trace data of firearms seized into Mexican and Central American countries to ensure
Mexico and “Stateside” interdictions of firearmsthat the technology is utilized to the greatest extent
bound for Mexico shows that cartel members andpossible."
gang enforcers have now developed a preference for 
higher quality, more powerful weapons.  The mostSources:
common of these firearms now includes the Colt 
AR-15 .223 caliber assault rifle, the AK-47 “typeNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FORMER BORDER
variant” 7.62 caliber assault rifle, FN 5.57 caliberPATROL OFFICERS
pistols (better known in Mexico as the “CopUnited States House of Representatives Committee
Killer”… or “Asesino de la Policia”).  Inon Foreign Affaires Subcommittee on the Western
conjunction with the dramatic increase in U.S. source Hemisphere
firearms that have either been recovered in Mexico, orMexican Federal Government
interdicted prior to reaching Mexico, ATF also routinely“O.E.M.
seizes small arms and assault rifle ammunition destined