A firearm used by cartel members in the Mexico kidnapping and murder of two Americans earlier this month originated in the United States through illegal trafficking, said a criminal complaint filed in federal court, according to ABC News.

It serves as a sobering reminder that the U.S., with its regular supply of weapons and robust market for illegal drugs, is mostly to blame for the bloodshed that frequently makes the news in Mexico.

After admitting to federal officials a few days prior that he bought guns in the U.S. and knowingly delivered them to members of the Gulf Cartel in Mexico, Roberto Lugardo Moreno appeared in court on Monday to face conspiracy charges to export a handgun illegally.

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A Gun Purchased in 2019 Matched the Gun Used in Mexico Kidnapping This Year

The complaint charging Roberto Lugardo Moreno with conspiring to export or deliver from the United States a "multi-caliber A.R. type weapon" to the Gulf Cartel was filed in U.S. District Court in Brownsville, Texas, on Saturday, per CNN.

Mexican authorities recovered the gun last week. It was "linked to an event involving the Mexico kidnapping and murders of U.S. citizens, which occurred on March 3, 2023, in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico," the lawsuit alleges.

Four Americans were abducted during a doctor's visit earlier this month.

When Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were killed during the kidnapping, LaTavia Washington McGee and Eric Williams managed to escape.

Six suspects have been arrested in connection with the Mexico kidnapping.

The federal complaint states that Lugardo Moreno admitted to buying the pistol on October 17, 2019, for people he knew would deliver it and other firearms to a Gulf Cartel member in Mexico, adding that Lugardo Moreno got a payment of $100 at that time.

Moreover, Lugardo Moreno admitted to the investigators that he had not requested a permit to send the gun from the U.S. to Mexico.

How Does the U.S. Gun Problem Affect Mexico?

In a $10 billion lawsuit against major U.S. gun manufacturers, the Mexican government claims that between 500,000 and 873,000 firearms are illegally imported into Mexico each year via the southern border. The complaint was initially filed in August 2021.

That is a considerable number, but the government of the United States has some equally mind-boggling statistics.

The "best estimate available" by the government is that over 200,000 firearms leave the country illegally each year, according to a report published by a federal watchdog in February 2021, ABC 15 noted.

However, Mexico lost a lawsuit in October, claiming that gun manufacturers' "carelessness and negligence" in their marketing and distribution "actively" facilitated gun trafficking into Mexico.

With "considerable sympathy for the people of Mexico," the federal judge found that manufacturers are protected by U.S. law "when [their] product functioned as designed and intended."

Nevertheless, Mexico's Foreign Ministry indicated last week that it will appeal that judgment, stating that the immunity rule "has no effect on damages caused in Mexican territory."

The Foreign Ministry continued, accusing the gun firms of "negligent practices" that encourage "violence in Mexico, as well as other crimes such as human trafficking and drug trafficking, particularly of fentanyl," stating that with all their actions, the Mexican government wants to involve the actors that up until now have not been participating in the battle against arms trafficking, referring to the gun companies.

Mexico filed a second lawsuit against five Arizona gun stores in October, saying that they routinely and systematically engage in the illegal trafficking of weapons, including military-style weapons, for criminal organizations in Mexico by selling to straw purchasers and sales meant for arms smugglers.

The judicial system has only begun processing those matters.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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