'Weapon of war': The U.S. rifle feared by Mexican police — and loved by drug cartels
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
MEXICO CITY — The flow of high-caliber arms smuggled across the porous U.S. border has alarmed Mexican officials and few weapons are as powerful as the U.S.-made M82 semi-automatic rifle increasingly favored by the powerful drug cartels.
The M82 can easily penetrate bulletproof vests, concrete walls and even tanks, says its manufacturer Barrett Firearms. It is also one of the weapons of choice for drug cartels, according to the Mexican government, which this week filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts against the company and 10 other gun manufacturers.
Weapons such as the M82 are part of a "torrent" of illegal arms flowing south, Mexico alleges, partly due to the manufacturers' negligent business practices that had encouraged illegal arms trafficking.
None of the manufacturers, including Barrett, responded to Reuters' requests for comment.
First manufactured in the 1980s, the M82 rose to prominence during the first Gulf War when it was adopted by the U.S. military. Now it's used by more than 70 security agencies across the world, according to Barrett.
In Mexico, the weapon has disrupted the balance of power between criminal groups and poorly equipped police forces, 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 said.
"That leaves the military as the only ones able to battle the cartels."
The M82 guns, often fitted with a scope to act as sniper's weapon, can fire 70 rounds per minute with a maximum range of 2,500 meters.
Between 2009 and 2020, authorities seized 358 M82 rifles, according to official figures cited by the Milenio newspaper. In 2019, a record 68 such weapons were captured.
The raw power of the rifle, which weighs about 14 kilograms (31 lb) and is 1.5 meters long, was on show in mid-2020 during a military-style assassination attempt on Mexico City's police chief that was captured by surveillance cameras.
Gunmen who left behind at least one M82 rifle were seen spraying the armor-plated car of police chief Omar Garcia Harfuch with high-velocity rounds. He was badly wounded, while two bodyguards and an innocent bystander were killed.
In 2016, members of the "Knights Templar" cartel in Michoacan state allegedly downed a helicopter with an M82 rifle, the Mexican lawsuit said.
The Barrett M82 was a "serious problem" for security forces because its armor-piercing bullets can knock out the motors of reconnaissance vehicles and endanger helicopters, said a Mexican official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The gun should not be in the hands of civilians, the official said.
"It's a weapon of war," added the official.
For the cartels, the M82 has also become a status symbol.
Criminal gangs that wish to project power often post photos on social media of their members toting M82 guns and latest military gadgets, mimicking the style of special forces units.
"It's a very symbolic weapon in the narco world and for the narco aesthetic," Grandmaison said.
"It shows you're on top of the game."
Reuters
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This is why the Mexican govt. is suing American gun manufacturers.
For what reason?
Well, I guess we can sue the Mexican gvmt for the faulty VW's, Chevy's, Chrysler's, Jeep's, etc. that are built in Mexico and their poor quality control processes to cut the corners, right?
So... The Mexican govt. is responsible for Volkswagens' quality control?
At least as much as a gun manufacturer would be responsible for illegal sales of their products and smuggling them over the border.
You operate a business in any country and you will follow their rules/regulations - simple to understand.
I understand that Mexico probably has different regulations. What I don't understand is why Ford or VW would think that importing an intentionally defective product is beneficial for their shareholders.
So mexico does basically nothing to stop negatives going from mexico into the US, such as drugs, human trafficking, child sex trafficking, illegal border crossings, etc. but they want no negatives going from the US into mexico? Here’s an idea, mexico, get control of your country, capture and execute any and all cartel members. Until then, fuck off.
Yes, rifles are weapons of war. Rifles are tools of law enforcement (including this particular Barrett rifle). Rifles are tools for animal control (including this particular Barrett rifle). Rifles are used recreationally (including this particular Barrett rifle). And, of course, rifles are used for criminal activity (including this particular Barrett rifle).
The Barrett rifle is not unique. China, Russia, and several eastern European countries manufacture comparable rifles. The Mexican government has even initiated an effort to manufacture a comparable rifle in Mexico.
The thing about rifles, for any use, is they won't work without ammunition. So the cartels using these rifles means they must have established a supply chain for ammunition. A rifle will only be smuggled once. But using the rifle requires smuggling ammunition regularly; it's not a one time smuggling operation.
We don't know that all these riffles have been smuggled, either. The Mexican military uses these Barrett rifles. The Mexican government isn't going to provide data on rifles that have been lost or stolen. We don't know and we'll likely never know if any of these rifles came from the Mexican military. We can't assume that all these rifles have been smuggled out of the US.
I want one! But they cost around $10,000 new and the ammo is $3.00 a shot.
Road trip to Mexico!
Good luck with that. You won't be able to purchase a Barrett M82 legally in Mexico.
For those into trivia, Mexico has one, and only one, gun store in the country; located on a military base. Mexico has very stringent gun control laws. Apparently legally buying a firearm in Mexico is a long and arduous process. While it is legal to own firearms, it is illegal to carry a firearm in public. The only arrows left in Mexico's gun control quiver are prohibitions on owning firearms and confiscation of firearms. Restrictions on firearms are baked into the Mexican constitution. There is a constitutional right to own firearms but there is not a constitutional right to use a firearm.
Damn - sounds like our Congressional mess.
I think this law suit is a very funny thing. It absolutely sucks when a country cannot control it's borders and smugglers can bring in things that are not wanted or are dangerous to the population you as a government are there to protect.
That is pretty nasty isn't it? Usually, it signals that the government which is failing it's people that badly should be replaced as soon as possible.
I want one
Dang, not that these prices... starting bid at $11,999.00
Aren't those the guns Obama let the cartels have?