By Diego Oré and Drazen Jorgic
MEXICOCITY - The flow of high-caliber weapons smuggled across the porous US border has alarmed Mexican officials, and few weapons are as powerful as those made in the United States. M82 semi-automatic rifle increasingly favored by the powerful drug cartels.
The M82 it can easily penetrate bulletproof vests, concrete walls and even tanks, says its manufacturer Barrett Firearms. It is also one of the weapons of choice for drug cartels, according to the Mexican government, which this week filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court in Massachusetts against the company and 10 other gun manufacturers.
Weapons like the M82 they are part of a “torrent” of illegal weapons flowing south, Mexico alleges, in part due to negligent business practices by manufacturers that had encouraged illegal arms trafficking.
None of the manufacturers, including Barrett, responded to Reuters' requests for comment.
First manufactured in the 1980s, the M82 rose to fame during the first Gulf War when he was adopted by the US military. It is now used by more than 70 law enforcement agencies around the world, according to Barrett.
In Mexico, the weapon has disrupted the balance of power between criminal groups and ill-equipped police forces, according to Romain Le Cour Grandmaison, director of programs for Noria's office in Mexico and Central America, a think tank.
"If you have a Barrett, it means that no non-special forces, like the local police and the municipal police, cannot fight you," Grandmaison said.
"That leaves the military as the only ones capable of fighting the cartels."
The M82 The pistols, often fitted with a sight to act as a sniper weapon, can fire 70 rounds per minute with a maximum range of 2,500 meters.
Between 2009 and 2020, authorities seized 358 M82 rifles, according to official figures cited by the newspaper Milenio. In 2019, a record 68 such weapons were captured.
The raw power of the rifle, which weighs around 14 kilograms (31 pounds) and is 1.5 meters long, was on display in mid-2020 during a military-style assassination attempt on the Mexico City police chief that was captured by surveillance cameras.
Gunmen who left at least one M82 Rifles were seen spraying Police Chief Omar García Harfuch's armored car with high-velocity projectiles. He was seriously injured, while two bodyguards and an innocent bystander were killed.
In 2016, members of the “Knights Templar” cartel in the state of Michoacán allegedly shot down a helicopter with a M82 rifle, the Mexican lawsuit said.
The Barrett M82 it was a "serious problem" for security forces because its armor-piercing bullets can damage reconnaissance vehicle engines and endanger helicopters, said a Mexican official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The weapon should not be in the hands of civilians, the official said.
"It is a weapon of war," added the official.
For the cartels, the M82 it has also become a status symbol.
Criminal gangs that wish to project power often post photos on social media of their members wearing M82 weapons and the latest military gadgets, imitating the style of special forces units.
"It is a very symbolic weapon in the world of narco and for narco-aesthetics," Grandmaison said.
"Show that you are on top of the game."
