Sunday, November 04, 2007

US firepower fuels Mexican cartel wars

Among those who concern themselves with smuggling across America's southern border, there is a truism: Drugs flow north, money and guns flow south. A lot of guns. ABC News and the Washington Post report that 100% of drug related killings in Mexico are carried out with American weapons. A Mexican government study estimates about 2,000 guns per day illegally enter Mexico from the United States. The police director in Tijuana,
who equips most of his employees with handguns, has just 150 AR-15 rifles to spread among 3,000 officers. Arms smugglers bring more than that into Mexico in a typical two-hour period.

"We have to find a better filter," he said wearily. "We're losing."

No comments: