MEXICO CITY — The circulation of superior arms smuggled throughout the permeable U.S. border has actually alarmed Mexican authorities and couple of weapons are as effective as the U.S.-made M82 semi-automatic rifle progressively preferred by the effective drug cartels.
The M82 can quickly permeate bulletproof vests, concrete walls and even tanks, states its maker Barrett Firearms. It is likewise among the weapons of option for drug cartels, according to the Mexican federal government, which today submitted a claim in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts versus the business and 10 other weapon makers.
Weapons such as the M82 become part of a “torrent” of prohibited arms streaming south, Mexico declares, partially due to the makers’ irresponsible service practices that had actually motivated prohibited arms trafficking.
None of the makers, consisting of Barrett, reacted to Reuters’ ask for remark.
First produced in the 1980s, the M82 increased to prominence throughout the very first Gulf War when it was embraced by the U.S. armed force. Now it’s utilized by more than 70 security firms throughout the world, according to Barrett.
In Mexico, the weapon has actually interfered with the balance of power in between criminal groups and badly geared up police, according to Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, Program Director at the Mexico and Central America Office of Noria, a think tank.
“If you have a Barrett, it means that any non-special forces such as the local police and the municipal police cannot fight you,” Grandmaison stated.
“That leaves the military as the only ones able to battle the cartels.”
The M82 weapons, frequently fitted with a scope to function as sniper’s weapon, can fire 70 rounds per minute with an optimal series of 2,500 meters.
Between 2009 and 2020, authorities took 358 M82 rifles, according to main figures pointed out by the Milenio paper. In 2019, a record 68 such weapons were caught.
The raw power of the rifle, which weighs about 14 kgs (31 pound) and is 1.5 meters long, was on program in mid-2020 throughout a military-style assassination effort on Mexico City’s cops chief that was caught by monitoring video cameras.
Gunmen who left a minimum of one M82 rifle were seen spraying the armor-plated automobile of cops chief Omar Garcia Harfuch with high-velocity rounds. He was terribly injured, while 2 bodyguards and an innocent onlooker were eliminated.
In 2016, members of the “Knights Templar” cartel in Michoacan state supposedly downed a helicopter with an M82 rifle, the Mexican suit stated.
The Barrett M82 was a “serious problem” for security forces since its armor-piercing bullets can knock out the motors of reconnaissance lorries and threaten helicopters, stated a Mexican authorities, who spoke on condition of privacy.
The weapon ought to not remain in the hands of civilians, the authorities stated.
“It’s a weapon of war,” included the authorities.
For the cartels, the M82 has likewise end up being a status sign.
Criminal gangs that want to forecast power frequently post pictures on social networks of their members lugging M82 weapons and most current military devices, imitating the design of unique forces systems.
“It’s a very symbolic weapon in the narco world and for the narco aesthetic,” Grandmaison stated.
“It shows you’re on top of the game.”
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