At 40 a Day, Mexico Seizes Enough Illegal Weapons to Arm Navy and Police Arturo Angel - Insight Crime
go to original April 29, 2015

More than 60,000 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico since 2006, and the government says most of the weapons being used come from the United States. Al Jazeera's Adam Raney reports from Mexico City. (Al Jazeera English)
 

The number of firearms seized from criminal groups over the past ten years - an average of 40 a day - could equip a force equivalent to Mexico's Navy and Federal Police put together; while the amount of seized cartridges would allow each weapon to fire at least 105 rounds.

Over the past decade, the Army has seized almost 13,000 grenades and 150,000 firearms, including assault weapons meant for use in warfare. This is despite the fact that conventional arms sales are illegal in Mexico, and - at least on paper - the country has been living in times of "peace" for at least half a century.

The seizures were part of the Army's permanent campaign against organized crime, and while there have been cases of large arsenals discovered in warehouses or secret hideouts, many weapons have also been taken from cars, people, or violent crime scenes.

Last December, a United Nations and World Health Organization (WHO) report on violence prevention revealed that in Mexico - contrary to the most conservative estimates - seven out of 10 people are killed with firearms. This put Mexico in the 12th spot worldwide, among countries with the greatest proportion of these kinds of homicides, at the same level as Kuwait and Brazil.

Information on weapons seizures kept by Mexico's Secretary of National Defense (SEDENA) also shows that criminal firepower is increasing - the percentage of larger weapons seized by authorities is rising compared to smaller weapons, like pistols

This increase in criminal firepower can also be seen in the number of grenades seized from criminal groups, which increased by more than 1,400 percent over a decade. However, the numbers from 2014 show a significant decrease in these seizures compared to previous years.

Read the rest at Insight Crime

This article was originally published by Animal Politico - See Spanish original here.

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