This Friday, President Claudia Sheinbaum made a statement in which she labeled American arms manufacturers and dealers as 'accomplices' of terrorism in the event that five Mexican drug cartels are designated as terrorist groups. Sheinbaum emphasized that 74% of the weapons used by criminal groups come from the United States and expressed her intention to strengthen regulations in Mexico to combat the sale of weapons by foreigners.
According to The New York Times, the State Department's list will also include other Latin American criminal groups such as Tren de Aragua, Clan del Golfo from Colombia, and Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) in the terrorist category.
During a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, General Gregory Guillot, head of U.S. Northern Command, highlighted the importance of combating Mexican criminal groups and mentioned that military capabilities have been increased to pursue the cartels through Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance operations. This increase in surveillance flights at the border aims to gather more information on the activities of Mexican cartels.
Sheinbaum mentioned that Mexico would present an expansion of the lawsuit initiated against the U.S. arms industry if the designation of the five Mexican cartels as terrorists is finalized, as reported by The New York Times. The cartels identified are the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Northeast Cartel, Michoacán Family, and Unidos.
In contrast, President Donald Trump has accused Mexico of being governed by the cartels and has claimed that they cause the deaths of between 250,000 and 300,000 Americans annually. Sheinbaum has expressed her disagreement with this statement, arguing that a large part of the weapons used by criminal groups come from the United States, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice.
President Sheinbaum defended Mexico's sovereignty and stressed that she will not accept external interference in internal security matters. Her stance reinforces the need to address the issue of drug trafficking and violence from a comprehensive perspective that also tackles the flow of illicit weapons into Mexico.
