The Supreme Court blocked on Thursday a $10 billion lawsuit filed by Mexico against U.S. manufacturers for allegedly helping fuel cartel violence in the country with their business practices.
The Associated Press detailed that the ruling was anonymous. It follows appeals from manufacturers like Smith & Wesson, Berretta, Colt and Glock. Mexico had requested justices to let the case continue, claiming it was in its early stages.
The country accused the companies of knowing their guns were being smuggled into Mexico and seizing the opportunity to increase their profits.
Thousands of guns of all calibers are smuggled from the U.S. into Mexico each year, effectively circumventing the country's strict laws. Mexico, in fact, has just one store where people can legally buy guns, the outlet added.
U.S. authorities found in a recent report that most firearms trafficked into Mexico originate from Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. Northern Mexican states including Sonora, Baja California, Chihuahua, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas are the primary destinations.
In May, Mexico's Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said that since February a joint task force had seized over 2,000 firearms. He said 75% of the weapons recovered during that period were manufactured in the United States—a figure also acknowledged by U.S. officials.
However, law enforcement in Mexico and the United States are reporting a significant decrease in firearm seizures along the border in recent months. Since Oct. 1—the start of fiscal year 2025 and the beginning of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has seized 437 firearms headed to Mexico. That marks a nearly 61% drop compared to the same period in fiscal year 2024, when agents stopped 1,110 firearms from crossing south.
As Border Report noted, firearms moving south are typically purchased by straw buyers in the U.S., then smuggled across the border to supply criminal groups. Most firearms confiscated (62%) are hand guns, while 161 were large firearms.
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