Mexican Cartels Armed With US Weaponry: Tank Busters

By Eric Mack | Sunday, 30 June 2024 

Mexican drug cartels are reportedly arming up to show incoming President Claudia Sheinbaum they are loaded with weaponry, including tank-busting FGM 148 Javelin infrared-guided missile launchers made by U.S. defense contractors.

The timing of the revelation and training to use them raise the question of who are the real power holders and influencers in Mexico, a source told USA Today on Sunday.

"It's to show the government, perhaps this one or the incoming one, that they have the ability to launch attacks of this kind with the weaponry they have," security consultant David Saucedo told the paper. "It's their secret weapon, but they can use it if necessary. That's my impression."

Javelins are shoulder-held, close-combat/anti-armor missile launchers designed to bust tanks on the battlefield, but they can also be fired to destroy helicopters and drones.

Biden administration officials deny the cartels' claims to have them and the necessary training to use them, but reports also indicate Pentagon tracking of such weapons contain "holes," according to the report.

The reality is a Mexican secretary of security official told USA Today that multiple Javelins have been confiscated from cartels, including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Also, there is forensic evidence the Javelins have been used to down helicopters of political figures, according to the report.

"Weapons like this present an extreme danger when they land in the hands of criminals," ATF Director Steven Dettelbach said last year.

"They're seeking a level of weaponry that outguns Mexican law enforcement."

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has vowed to use the U.S. military against Mexican drug cartels, but the new reported arming could make for a messy battle.

Cartels "would not think twice to use it against [U.S. forces], if they dare enter the country," a cartel source told USA Today. "That would create a terrible war.

"We don't let Mexican forces stop us, much less a foreign force."