Claudia Sheinbaum says that if US wants to see a decrease in drug trafficking, it should stop the flow of weapons across the border
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during her daily press conference at Palacio Nacional in Mexico City on June 11, 2025 © Via Getty Images
Posted For: MugsMalone
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the United States should do more to stop weapons from crossing the border if it wants to reduce drug trafficking.
Sheinbaum made the comments during a visit to the Mexican state of Sinaloa, a region that has long struggled with cartel-related violence. She traveled there with several top officials to show support for local residents.
“Sinaloa is work, tourism. Let our neighbors and the entire world hear this: Long live Culiacán and long live Sinaloa. No matter how difficult the problems are, we will move forward if we remain united,” she said.
During her remarks, Sheinbaum connected ongoing violence in Mexico to the flow of weapons from the United States. She said the U.S. must take responsibility for stopping illegal gun trafficking across the border.
“They need to do their part so weapons stop being smuggled from the U.S. into Mexico,” she said.
A recent report found that cartels have obtained high-caliber ammunition produced at a plant located in a U.S. government–owned facility. The plant manufactures rounds that are also used by the U.S. military.
The facility is located outside Kansas City and supplies ammunition both to the military and to the civilian retail market. Because some of the rounds are sold commercially, criminal organizations have been able to obtain them. The ammunition is powerful enough to damage vehicles and light aircraft.
Investigations by The New York Times and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists highlighted agreements between the U.S. Army and private contractors that allowed these rounds to be sold commercially, where they have sometimes ended up in the hands of cartels.
According to the report, since 2012 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has seized more than 40,000 rounds of this type of ammunition in U.S. states along the Mexican border. Ammunition traced back to the Lake City facility near Kansas City accounted for roughly one-third of those seizures—more than any other manufacturer.
The outlet previously reported that drug cartels are increasingly involved in an arms race, acquiring weapons and tactics similar to those used by paramilitary groups. Cartels have also been documented using improvised explosive devices, modified drones, and other heavy weaponry, increasing their destructive capability.
Authorities have also reported the use of land mines, rocket-propelled grenades, and armored trucks equipped with mounted machine guns. These developments have contributed to civilian casualties in Mexico.
Mexican officials have long argued that many of these weapons originate in the United States. The Mexican government has repeatedly urged U.S. leaders, including President Donald Trump, to do more to curb the flow of firearms south across the border. Mexico previously filed a lawsuit against several gun manufacturers over the issue, but the case was ultimately struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Cartels have also expanded their own capabilities, using 3D printers to produce weapon parts and reverse-engineering certain designs.
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