U.S. and Mexico Struggle to Stop Flow of Weapons Across Border

Mexico City -- Efforts to stem the smuggling of weapons from the U.S. to Mexican drug cartels have been frustrated by bureaucratic infighting, a lack of training and the delayed delivery of a computer program to Mexico. In the past several years, Mexico has submitted information about more than 74,000 guns seized south of the border that the government suspects were smuggled from the U.S. Obama administration officials have responded with surge in spending to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Department of Homeland Security. Guns are sold legally in the U.S. and are easily obtainable in the worldwide black market in arms. More than 28,000 Mexicans have died in drug violence in the past four years. The U.S. announced three years ago that it would provide Mexico with its proprietary e Trace Internet-based system; the system is described as "a cornerstone" of its effort to fight arms trafficking to Mexico. Users enter basic data about a weapom, such as its make, model and serial number, and then receive vital intelligence from the ATF about where and when it was manufactured and sold, and to whom. The Mexican government often states that 90 percent of the weapons it confiscates come from the U.S. U.S. agents along the southwest border are seizing a small percentage of the weapons likely to be smuggled south. Border Patrol and ICE, captured 1,404 guns on their way to Mexico from March 2009 to March 2010.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/06/AR2010100607018.html