(UnitedVoice.com) – Hundreds of thousands of weapons flow from the US into Mexico each year. In January, Mexico revealed US military weapons were also being smuggled into their country. A new report indicates the cartels are putting on a show for the incoming president.
According to a terrifying new report, Mexican drug cartels have escalated the arms race with the military. They have now managed to get their hands on the FGM 148 Javelin. The missile launcher is guided by infrared technology which allows its users to take cover after launching it to protect themselves. The weapon is lethal when it hits tanks that are outfitted with conventional and reactive armor.
USA Today interviewed a man who goes by the nickname “El Faco” and works with the missile launcher. He said that he trains others to use the weapon as well. Security consultant David Saucedo confirmed to reporters that the cartels now have the weapon. He said that it appears the criminals might be revealing the information as a show of force directed at the incoming Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.
The new president is set to take office on October 1. Sheinbaum Pardo has a strong law and order record. While serving as mayor of Mexico City she increased the number of police and their salaries. She also collaborated with US law enforcement. Her work resulted in more drug busts and fewer murders.
Experts say that Sheinbaum Pardo’s win could be attributed to her emphasis on public safety and national security. Saucedo explained the cartels, who control about a third of Mexico’s territory, might want to show that they can launch attacks with “their secret weapon” if they need to. There are already concerns that one might have been used to take down a helicopter carrying Porfirio Sánchez Mendoza, the police chief of the state of Aguascalientes, in 2022.
The cartels also possess land mines, drone bombs, and belt-fed Gatling guns. Their weapons rival that of a small military and have left Mexico’s armed forces struggling to control them for decades. Authorities have confiscated two Javelins from cartel members, and it’s not clear how many more there are in circulation.
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