No official figures; Trafficking of drugs, weapons and even animals by parcel delivery companies.
By:Veronica Diaz
The Ministry of Public Safety and Protection announced that from August to date it has confiscated 34 shipments by parcels , mainly of drugs , such as fentanyl and crystal; and upon arrival in the recipient's city.
In addition to narcotics, it has detected wildlife trafficking , archeological pieces, ammunition and weapons; in the latter case it is even more difficult, because they are sent by pieces that are then assembled in clandestine workshops.
And it is operationally impossible to review each of the 250 million packages that are shipped annually in Mexico, 13 billion in the United States and 87 billion in the world, according to 2018 data.
The Agency for Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has the legal tools to identify the origin of weapons that enter Mexico illegally from the United States, but “ has been unable to determine the buyer of 53 percent ”, according to the Firearms Trafficking study , presented to the US Congress with data from 2009 to 2014.
This document notes that criminal groups have found a way to evade controls on arms sales. "ATF agents and Mexican government officials have found a new complication, as they are trafficked with parts of weapons that are taken to Mexico to be assembled later ."
ATF officials illustrated the complexity of the problem with a couple of 2014 cases: “One was in Guadalajara, where Jalisco State Police confiscated hundreds of receivers ? (parts of guns) and pieces of sophisticated equipment used to complete the assembly of rifles. The other in Tijuana , where the police confiscated 25 rifles that were in the process of being assembled by US parties. ”
Among the confiscations reported by the SSPC there are magazines, ammunition and even complete weapons: on August 21, from Tijuana to Jalisco, four short arms and seven 9-millimeter magazines were sent , hidden between automotive filters, by a parcel company.
Of the four companies consulted by MILENIO, only DHL commented that although it invests in technology and infrastructure in the 220 territories in which it has a presence, in order to prevent illicit shipments, it is in “willingness to collaborate closely with the authorities, providing all the necessary information to prevent mobilization of objects and substances that jeopardize the safety or health of citizens ”.
Packaged in a cardboard box, apparently abandoned at a parcel delivery company, was a plaster figure with 500 tablets of fentanyl inside. The National Guard spokesperson reported that the finding occurred at a courier and parcel company in Mazatlan, Sinaloa .
The troops arrived at the company, where next to the facilities they found a cardboard box in an apparent state of abandonment. Upon checking its interior, a plaster figure was found that contained a plastic bag with blue pills. Since this was a commission of a crime, the apparent drug was made available to the Federal Public Ministry Agent , which will continue with the corresponding investigations.
Then there are the animals:
According to reports the animal came shipped from Guanajuato . However, in a routine operation when the elements performed inspection, and security and crime prevention functions, they managed to identify the animal. The kitten was inside a wooden box with holes in its sides. According to the labeling, it belongs to the Panthera leo species, ie a lion cub, which is included in Appendix II of CITES ( Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
The elements carried out the corresponding inspection and when confirming that the documentation that supported their transfer and legal provenance presented inconsistencies and in order to preserve the health of the feline, the specimen was transferred to the Federal Public Ministry's facilities , where it was ordered to be taken to a zoo in the municipality of Ensenada, to be granted the necessary care and food, as long as its legal destination is determined. This animal is considered an exotic specimen and the transfer of these species is regulated by the General Wildlife Law , which establishes that its management can only be carried out in confinement conditions that guarantee the safety of civil society and treatment worthy and respectful to the animal.
Packaged in a cardboard box, apparently abandoned at a parcel delivery company, was a plaster figure with 500 tablets of fentanyl inside. The National Guard spokesperson reported that the finding occurred at a courier and parcel company in Mazatlan, Sinaloa .The troops arrived at the company, where next to the facilities they found a cardboard box in an apparent state of abandonment. Upon checking its interior, a plaster figure was found that contained a plastic bag with blue pills. Since this was a commission of a crime, the apparent drug was made available to the Federal Public Ministry Agent , which will continue with the corresponding investigations.
Then there are the animals:
According to reports the animal came shipped from Guanajuato . However, in a routine operation when the elements performed inspection, and security and crime prevention functions, they managed to identify the animal. The kitten was inside a wooden box with holes in its sides. According to the labeling, it belongs to the Panthera leo species, ie a lion cub, which is included in Appendix II of CITES ( Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
Protegemos la vida silvestre y atacamos el tráfico ilegal de especies. Rescatamos a un cachorro de león africano en una empresa de paquetería de #BajaCalifornia #JusticiaYPaz pic.twitter.com/DoYi5hWhZw— Guardia Nacional (@GN_MEXICO_) November 28, 2019
Some day, somewhere, somebody will catch one trafficker, or at least a recipient of the parcel, it will only take a prayer or two.
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