Good day all. With all the news of the Biden Debate Debacle, this story may not make it as far as it should. It appears that the Mexican drug cartels may have gotten their hands on FGM 148 Javelin antitank missiles.
The Javelin has become known for turning large numbers of Russian tanks into scrap metal in the Ukraine. They are highly advanced and very accurate weapons systems that are fairly simple to use. Now it looks like the Drug cartels now have their hands on some and they are threatening the United States. Here are the details from Newsmax:
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.”
Currently, Mexico is trying to destroy the American gun industry through the courts, claiming that they are selling guns to the cartels. That’s a load of crap of course. It was the Obama administration that was doing that with Operation Fast and Furious. That, however is something for another post. Switching over to the USA Today article:
The man sat on a worn-out office chair in the backroom of a market in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, amid vegetable trimmings and a haphazard stack of milk crates. He wore a blue shirt, worn jeans – and a ski mask.
He asked to be referred by a nickname, “El Flaco” – the skinny guy – so authorities could not identify him. He works as a mercenary, he said, and had come to discuss a closely guarded secret of Mexico’s most powerful cartels: The FGM 148 Javelin infrared-guided, missile launcher.
El Flaco maintains he has been trained to perform special operations using shoulder-fired weapons, including the Javelin. He said he now trains others to use it as well.
I would love to know how the Cartels got their hands on these weapons. Normally they buy or steal weapons from the Mexican military or from other sources. These include automatic weapons and belt fed machine guns, not something you pick up at your local FFL dealer in Montana. I did a quick check on that tome of incredible accuracy, Wikipedia and it didn’t list Mexico as one of the users of these weapon systems.
If El Flaco is telling the truth, Javelins would be among the most extreme examples of the escalation in the arms race between cartels and Mexican military. Cartels arsenals now include belt-fed Gatling guns, drone bombs and land mines, all with potential to provoke elected U.S. officials who have advocated invading Mexico.
The Gatling gun they’re talking about is called a minigun. It can fire over 4000 rounds a minute. The United States is the main user of this system, however Mexico has them as well. They are good for suppressive fire, but they burn ammo at a huge rate. Land mines? Anyone can make those. The Drone bombs are probably variants invented by the Ukrainians and are probably home built.
U.S. officials roundly denied that cartels have Javelins as did a high-level Mexican security official, but despite close scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Defense, there are holes in the U.S. tracking system. During the Iraq War in 2003, for instance, the department lost track of 35 Javelins provided to Iraqi allied forces. ISIS was found to have a Javelin in Syria, Kurdish fighters there also obtained a Javelin and the weapon was found at a Libyan warlord base.
One of the major areas of concern is the Ukraine. We have sent thousands or missiles with launchers and thanks to Biden and the Democrats, there has been little to know accounting on them. Considering how valuable these weapons are, you can bet not all of them made it to the front lines. More then a few probably “Fell off a truck” somewhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cartels didn’t do a little shopping at the Kabul Bidenmart and weapons emporium as well. Going back to the Newsmax article:
“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.”
They are also trying to prepare for what the United States may do, especially after President Trump is returned to office. President Trump fully intends to secure the border and he may decide, with the agreement of Congress, to destroy the cartels.
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.”
The Mexican forces are, frankly, not all that good. Going into Mexico in a military assault won’t go the way the Cartels think it will. I would think that the first thing to happen would be cartel leaders getting some face time with Mr. Hellfire.
If the cartels have some of these weapons, then they are now an existential threat to the United States. The Cartels also don’t have a clue how the United States Military will deal with them. If we decide to take the gloves off, then you will see a repeat of the Highway of Death, or what happened to the Wagner Group when they thought it would be a good idea to shell US Troops. The United States traditionally way overreacts when we are threatened or attacked. If the United States does go into Mexico, it won’t be a repeat of the Punitive Expedition. It will be flat out scorched Earth.
We need to find out what weapon systems the Cartels have and draw up plans to deal with them. I don’t mean sending in the DEA and arresting these thugs. I mean going in and wiping them out. Just as Israel is doing with Hamas in Gaza. If we don’t, those weapons will be used up here sooner rather then later.
Thatisall
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