The crime of arms trafficking in Mexico

Introduction

Arms trafficking is a crime that is destroying our society, brutally shaking the customs and ways of life of Mexicans since it is very difficult to combat, since we do not receive much information about it.

This is why our country is seen as one of the most corrupt countries in the world since our laws regarding these activities are not so strong to control them, although it is known that the transfer of arms comes from the United States.

According to the legal definition, arms trafficking consists of the clandestine introduction into the national territory of arms, ammunition, cartridges, explosives and materials for the exclusive use of the Army, Navy and Air Force or subject to control. This norm is explicit in article 84 of the Federal Law of Firearms and Explosives, of the investigations carried out in Mexico by the Federal Public Ministry, supported by the Federal Police and the Mexican Army.

Background

This problem officially arose in Mexico from 1994 and 1996, with the formation of the Zapatista Armies of National Liberation and Popular Revolutionary, since in that year the largest number of registered weapons entered the country, making Mexico the new paradise of weapons, both for own and for foreigners.

During 2007 and according to the PGR, the 2,500 executions documented as part of the war between criminal organizations, in addition to the 3,900 that were registered in 2008, were committed with this type of weapon. In the case of the more than 550 murders registered in Baja California this year, they were also committed with weapons illegally brought into the country.

In the present administration, nearly 20 thousand of these weapons have been confiscated in the border sentry boxes and highway checkpoints, which represents a fraction of the total that are introduced into national territory.

Development

Mexico has been rated worldwide as one of the countries hardest hit by the illegal transfer of arms and, according to international non-governmental organizations, one of its greatest challenges is to rebuild citizen security along with the fight against organized crime groups. equipped with military-type technology to attack troops and civilians.

In our country, the states with the highest rate of this crime are Tamaulipas, Jalisco, Baja California, Distrito Federal, Sonora and Guanajuato. And in their respective border cities: Tijuana and Mexicali in Baja California; Ciudad Juárez and Ojinaga in Chihuahua; San Luis Río Colorado in Sonora; and Nuevo Laredo in Tamaulipas. In the Federal District, the areas that are most important in terms of arms trafficking are the Center, Tepito, and neighborhoods such as Doctores, Buenos Aires, and Peralvillo.

According to the consultant's report, Mexican security forces captured more than 99,000 firearms between 2007 and 2011, and the US agency for Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives tracked 68,000 of them to gun sellers. in the US. The text details that drug cartels prefer pistols such as the Fabrique Nationale 5.7, known in Mexico as the police kill, which are capable of penetrating bulletproof vests.

Both weapons are sold in Arizona and Texas, Mexican drug traffickers usually acquire them through intermediary buyers, US citizens, who are paid a weapon fee, as reported by ICG. The cartels move them to Mexico using the same cars with hidden compartments that they use to smuggle drugs.

According to the report, Washington has admitted that tens of thousands of firearms have been sold to Mexican cartels.

Consequences in society

The United States government is not doing what is necessary to minimize this traffic that occurs at its border ports. For its part, the Mexican government has no chance of controlling our border, currently eaten away by corruption, complicity and also fear.

The fact is that the weapons continue to enter Mexico and end up at the hands of all kinds of criminals, kidnappers, small-time assailants, hitmen and drug traffickers.

According to studies by the federal authorities, there are more than 15 million illegal weapons circulating in the 32 entities. Mexican law only allows legal carrying to have up to two weapons in the home for protection. The second and last modality to acquire a firearm in our country refers to sport hunting; As long as the permit holder proves her membership in a hunting club, the law allows her to acquire one short weapon (pistol) and nine long ones for hunting employment.

Insecurity is the main problem that afflicts the capital, according to the Survey of Perception of Quality of Life in the Federal District 2012. Of the total population of the DF, 28% answered that they are concerned about insecurity, being Xochimilco and Coyoacán the more consistent in their response, with 42% each. Álvaro Obregón and Tláhuac are the demarcations in which their inhabitants perceive this problem in a lower percentage, with 5 and 17%, Mexico, as a country that suffers the effects of violence and uncontrolled weapons, can play a key role in achieving that this Treaty be signed as an instrument of respect for human rights. The Senate of the Republic recently approved a point of agreement supporting the Treaty and urging the government of Mexico to ensure that it contains effective regulations for the protection of human rights.

These are one of the most trafficked weapons in our country:

Arms trafficking

Solutions

More vigilance and more money need to be invested in fighting arms trafficking. But before carrying out any proper government action against arms trafficking, deep awareness programs must be implemented among the population, to transparently show them the truth about this threat that is becoming more powerful every day.

Organize information campaigns, that travel throughout the republic, make advertising slogans that invite people to report any crime that has to do with arms trafficking, guaranteeing 100% anonymity; Give talks and organize awareness workshops in centers of benefit and common interest, such as DIF schools, Cultural Centers, Museums, Secondary Schools, High Schools and Universities, Hospitals, Delegations, etc.; distribute flyers to citizens at strategic points, such as state capitals, the Historic Center, etc.

By having the population, for the most part, fully informed about this phenomenon, and the media and competent authorities willing to help, guide and attend to all the complaints made, it would be necessary to start with the proper governmental actions.

conclusion

In conclusion, the Traffic of Weapons in Mexico is a phenomenon that, since recent years here, has been gaining ground, and making the condition of life of all Mexicans even more dangerous. However, it is very sad to think that although it is a problem that is slowly suffocating society, society itself is not yet as aware as it should be, that is, people in general think that arms trafficking does not play such a dangerous role in society, and he doesn't know how big the problem is.

I believe that arms trafficking is a phenomenon that is destroying social security and stability. What I found most incredible about the investigation is the ease with which people can carry a weapon in the city, the security of Mexican society, whether little or much, is seriously threatened by arms trafficking. And with this investigation, the trust that can be generated between settlers and neighbors is brutally shaken.

We consider arms trafficking to be one of the worst illicit crimes against human life, since it works with instruments that far from just ending people's lives, it also happens to cause harm in different ways, such as the psychological, emotional, moral, comprehensive and individual, in addition to being a form of intimidation and magreos to those who are pointed out with a weapon.