Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, in collaboration with the Attorney General's Office of Mexico and state justice authorities, held a meeting at the Foreign Ministry to address the problem of arms trafficking in Mexico.
The meeting was attended by 19 state attorneys general from across the country, who had the opportunity to exchange information and experiences on the fight against illegal firearms trafficking and its negative effects on security in the country.
They highlighted the need to intensify inter-institutional and international cooperation to effectively combat the arms trafficking that has serious consequences for Mexican society, and the importance of strengthening the control and monitoring mechanisms at the country's borders and ports of entry to prevent firearms, their parts, and ammunition from entering.
Foreign Secretary Ebrard said that the meeting addressed “the correlation between the guns in each state and the violence in each state, that is, where there are more weapons offenses, or rather, seizures, linked to weapons, you have more violence.” He added that bimonthly meetings would be held to report on local and federal progress on the issue.
The Foreign Ministry's Legal Office gave a progress report on the Mexican government's lawsuit against U.S. gun manufacturing companies that facilitate the acquisition of high-capacity firearms that are subsequently trafficked to Mexico and empower members of organized crime.
The Foreign Secretary said, “The gun issue is a priority for Mexico. We are moving forward with our lawsuit; we have already filed an appeal, and we will soon have the hearing."
With this meeting, authorities at all levels of the Mexican government reaffirm their commitment to the safety and well-being of all Mexicans and will continue to work together to combat firearms trafficking in the country.
Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard was accompanied by Roberto Velasco, Chief Officer for North America; Ximena Escobedo, Director General of Political Coordination; María de Haas, Director General of Special Affairs; and Deputy Legal Advisor Miguel Ángel Reyes. Attending on behalf of the Attorney General's Office were the Attorney General for Regional Offices, Germán Adolfo Castillo Banuet, and the Director General of International Cooperation, María Fernanda Pérez Galindo.
Attending the meeting for the states were the following state attorneys general: for Aguascalientes, Jesús Figueroa Ortega; for Baja California, Ricardo Iván Carpio Sánchez; for Campeche, Renato Sales Heredia; for Mexico City, Ernestina Godoy Ramos; for Coahuila, Gerardo Márquez Guevara; for Durango, Sonia Yadira de la Garza Fragoso; for Guerrero, Sandra Luz Valdovinos Salmerón; for Hidalgo, Santiago Nieto Castillo (acting); for Jalisco, Luis Joaquín Méndez Ruiz; for Michoacán, Adrián López Solís; for Morelos, Uriel Carmona Gándara; for Nuevo León, Deputy Attorney General Pedro José Arce Jardón (acting); for Puebla, Gilberto Higuera Bernal; for Quintana Roo, Óscar Montes de Oca Rosales; for San Luis Potosí, José Luis Ruiz Contreras; for Sonora, Claudia Indira Contreras Córdova; for Tamaulipas, Irving Barrios Mojica; for Yucatán, José Manuel León and, for Zacatecas, Francisco Murillo Ruiseco.
