Over 2 mln weapons enter Mexico illegally in last decade: gov't

Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-15 00:19:11|Editor: huaxia
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Seized weapons are disassembled before being destroyed at a ceremony in Mexico City, Mexico, Sept. 2, 2016. (Xinhua)

About 70 percent of illegal arms trafficking come from the United States, and the rest from European countries such as Spain, Italy and Austria.

MEXICO CITY, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- More than two million weapons entered Mexico illegally during the last decade, and over half of them have not been recovered, the Mexican government said on Tuesday.

The figures were announced by the Minister of Defense Luis Cresencio Sandoval at a press conference along with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

The figures contrast with the 450,625 weapons sold by the government between 2009 and 2019, the minister said.

Moreover, from the beginning of Lopez Obrador's term, on Dec. 1, up to date, 7,927 weapons have been acquired, "which means that there is not an indiscriminate sale of weaponry as it is being said," Sandoval said.

About 70 percent of illegal arms trafficking come from the United States, and the rest from European countries such as Spain, Italy and Austria.

In Mexico, carrying firearms is regulated by the Ministry of Defense, and the acquisition of a license is mandatory.

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