In 4 months, US seized nearly 10,000 firearms bound for Mexico

Authorities successful the United States person seized astir 9,700 firearms bound for Mexico since U.S. President Donald Trump began his 2nd word Jan. 20, arsenic U.S. agencies intensify efforts to curb cross-border weapon trafficking, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters astatine her Tuesday mañanera this week that she had asked Trump to ace down connected the smuggling of weapons from the U.S. to Mexico, wherever they extremity up successful the hands of almighty cause cartels that use them to perpetrate murders and different crimes.

The Trump administration’s designation of large Mexican cartels arsenic overseas violent organizations has made stopping arms trafficking to Mexico a large precedence of the ATF. (@ATFLouisville/X)

At a property league past week, the ATF credited the surge successful seizures to a renewed absorption connected dismantling transnational transgression organizations and cartels, which progressively trust connected high-powered weapons to support trafficking routes and grow their influence.

An ATF property merchandise from Friday noted that favored weapons see ample caliber and/or belt-fed automatic rifles specified arsenic the FN M240 and FN M249 — long-range, combat instrumentality guns that are wide utilized by the U.S. subject and allied forces and are typically mounted connected vehicles and helicopters oregon utilized by infantry with a bipod oregon tripod.

“ATF is connected the beforehand enactment successful the combat against gun-related unit associated with organized gangs and cause trafficking organizations,” said John Nokes, peculiar cause successful complaint of the ATF Louisville Field Division.

While the Trump medication has emphasized its post-Jan. 20 results, the full fig of firearms seized successful each of 2025 is adjacent higher.

Reports crediting ATF data bespeak that 18,286 weapons were seized successful ATF operations crossed the U.S. from Jan. 1 done aboriginal May — though this fig includes each firearms, not conscionable those destined for Mexico.

There is nary publically disposable fig stating the precise fig of firearms bound for Mexico seized by the ATF successful 2024. Thus, it’s hard to cognize whether the 9,700 fig since Jan. 20 is simply a grounds oregon monolithic summation of immoderate sort.

One report published by the paper La Jornada noted that the ATF’s Operation Southbound, launched successful 2020 nether the Biden administration, seized 2,000 weapons bound for Mexico successful the archetypal fractional of 2023, for a 66% summation implicit a similar play successful 2022.

The Trump administration’s strategy includes designating large Mexican cartels arsenic overseas violent organizations, a determination that officials accidental enables prosecutors to question harsher penalties.

Sheinbaum called Trump’s “tough line” connected firearms trafficking historical and praised accrued practice betwixt Mexico and the United States.

In summation to the property league past week successful Louisville, Kentucky, ATF officials besides participated successful property conferences successful Columbus, Ohio and Nogales, Arizona, to “announce achievements successful the interdiction of outbound weapons” and “combatting firearms trafficking to Mexico.”

With reports from La Jornada, El Universal and N+