So where are the drug cartels REALLY getting their weapons? [View All]

[Hoopla Phil]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-arms-race15-2009mar15,0,7497626,full.story


MEXICO UNDER SIEGE
Drug cartels' new weaponry means war

Narcotics traffickers are acquiring firepower more appropriate to an army -- including grenade launchers and anti-tank rockets -- and the police are feeling outgunned.
By Ken Ellingwood and Tracy Wilkinson
5:53 PM PDT, March 13, 2009

The Feb. 21 attack on police headquarters in coastal Zihuatanejo, which injured four people, fit a disturbing trend of Mexico's drug wars. Traffickers have escalated their arms race, acquiring military-grade weapons, including hand grenades, grenade launchers, armor-piercing munitions and antitank rockets with firepower far beyond the assault rifles and pistols that have dominated their arsenals.

Most of these weapons are being smuggled from Central American countries or by sea, eluding U.S. and Mexican monitors who are focused on the smuggling of semiauto- matic and conventional weapons purchased from dealers in the U.S. border states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.




Well well well. I've been reading a lot in the news lately about the "U.S. Gun Shows" supplying the cartels with weapons but have been asking, but never hearing, about the bait and switch our politicians are using when they discuss the issue. See, the U.S. politicos are indicting U.S. FFL dealers on the straw purchases of SEMI-AUTO hand guns and rifles but then go on to talk about the heavy firepower the cartels have. The result is to give the false (intentionally maybe) impression that the cartels are getting this heavy firepower from the U.S. Looks like the truth has finally been tracked down.