From October to March, the United States confiscated nearly 2,000 weapons within the framework of North-South operations aimed at Combating arms trafficking to MexicoU.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco reported Wednesday.

“We’ve heard of them We are fighting this “flow of arms,” ​​he promised.

Senior officials from the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, the Administration on Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the White House gathered to Address the issue of arms trafficking to Mexico.

The Mexican government has been waging a legal battle against U.S. arms manufacturers since September 2022. Accused him of making it easier for weapons to fall into the hands of drug cartels.

In remarks ahead of the meeting, U.S. President Joe Biden’s deputy national security adviser, Joshua Gertzer, insisted that the White House Consider stopping this traffic a “priority” and addressing the problem “in a comprehensive manner”with the Mexican authorities.

According to him, it starts “from a basic premise”: Most of the illegal weapons entering the country, from pistols to other large-caliber weapons, come from the United States Traffickers use them against Mexican citizens and security forces, and to transport drugs.

In order to find a solution to the problem, the U.S. government has launched initiatives such as the “Southbound Action” in recent years. Operates through working groups in eight border cities Mexico, Operation Rayo del Desierto and Operation Sin Rastro.

Action from North to South Allows the confiscation of “nearly 2,000 firearms from last October to March” means an “increase of more than 65%” over the same period last year, and “More than 80,000 rounds of ammunitionsaid Lisa Monaco.

The deputy attorney general urged attendees to “go the extra mile” by gathering reliable data that “can be shared in real time,” ‘Maintaining momentum’ against arms smuggling In the northern summer, the most important thing is to “continue to strengthen” the cooperation with Mexico.

Homeland Security Deputy Secretary John Tien Uses His Intervention to Tell Mexico They take “requests for assistance” seriously.

Since 2021, the No Trace Action has triggered 900 investigations, over 700 arrests “Nearly a million pieces of ammunition” were also seized, Tien said.

The ATF reported a 17 percent increase in its Mexico-related arms seizures between fiscal years 2021 and 2022, 217% conducted a survey By agent on this traffic.

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