According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), it has intercepted 4,359 weapons and close to 650,000 rounds of bullets which were heading to the violent drug cartels of Mexico as part of a broader crackdown on illegal guns trafficking which has taken thousands of illegal guns and millions of rounds of ammunition off the US market.
The figures are included in anATF press releaseon the Justice Department that describes the outcome of a nationwide enforcement effort launched by the ATF since 20 January 2025, at the beginning of the current presidential term.
During that time the agency estimates that it has taken away 36,277 illegal crime firearms and 2,317,999 rounds of ammunition off of prohibited individuals, gang members and providers of transnational criminal networks.
Among those arms, 4,359 were named bound to Mexico where officials claim they would have fallen into the hands of cartel groups and violent gangs.
Moreover, 648,975 rounds that were captured were also to be delivered to Mexico which is an average of over 1,600 rounds daily. They were seized before they could actually get their way to the destination in Mexico.
Deputy Director Robert Cekada said the issue is far bigger than the southwest border and illegal smuggling of firearms is a threat on a national scale and not regional one.
'Illegal crime guns increasingly originate from every state in the country. This is not a southwest border problem, it is a national threat,' he said, underlining that federal agents are working towards cutting off the channels of supplying guns to the criminal organisations at all levels.
These attempts of the ATF are part of a larger policy to interfere and destroy criminal arms networks that transfer weapons manufactured in the United States to Mexico where they destroyviolent conflicts between drug cartels and law enforcement.
Over the last few years, it is a fact that firearms of US origin have been a constant on Mexican crime scenes thanks to the international aspect of gun trafficking.
The authorities indicate that the weapons confiscated would have served to arm the cartel members and gang followers south of the border. This weaponry trafficking is considered vital in the capacity of transnational criminal networks to engage in violent activities, such as fights with the Mexican government and the groups they contend with.
Source: International Business Times UK
