HomeNewsBriefGermany Arms Firm Illegally Sold Weapons to Mexico
BRIEF

Germany Arms Firm Illegally Sold Weapons to Mexico

ARMS TRAFFICKING / 7 MAY 2013 BY MIRIAM WELLS EN

A German arms manufacturer has admitted to illegally selling thousands of rifles to Mexico, where the weapons were reportedly used to commit human rights violations.

Heckler & Koch, which produces weapons such as pistols, machine guns, and grenade launchers, is under investigation by German authorities for exporting G36 rifles to several Mexican states where Germany prohibits gun sales, due to human rights concerns.

The company previously claimed it had only ever delivered weapons to Mexico's central weapons authority run by the defense ministry. However, this week the company admited to the illegal exports. There were "strong suspicions" that two employees had sent rifles to the forbidden states without approval, the company said in statement, adding that the pair had since been fired.

Over 9,000 illegal G36 rifles were reportedly sold to Mexico in total. Mexico's Secretary of Defense has said that nearly half of these rifles ended up in the four states where Germany prohibits arms sales. 

The German government banned the export of arms to Chihuahua, Jalisco, Chiapas, and Guerrero in 2007 due to concerns that they could be used in cases of human rights violations. However, evidence began to accumulate that the ban had been violated, culminating in 2011, when photos and witness testimony indicated that police used G36 rifles -- apparently sourced from Heckler & Koch -- to open fire against a student protest in Guerrero. Two people died during the demonstration. 

Heckler & Koch has also been accused of bribing Mexican officials to secure more sales between 2005 and 2010, and of supplying arms to Muammar Gaddafi's regime in Libya.

InSight Crime Analysis

The Heckler & Koch case is one reminder that the US -- while remaining a major provider of illicitly trafficked arms into Mexico -- is not the only source of illegal weapons. Even if the illicit G36 rifle shipments ended up in the hands of the police, this is still a cause for concern, given that corrupt officers and criminal groups are both known to sell weapons to each other

There is also the question of what more needs to be done on Germany's end, in terms of legal action against Heckler & Koch. As noted by one German legal expert, it is highly improbable that two company employees could have coordinated the illicit sales without the knowledge of others in the company. Moreover, it was unrealistic of the German government to believe its ban would have any real effect on where exported weapons ended up or what they were used for after arriving in Mexico.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

EL MENCHO / 14 MAY 2021

In some regions of Mexico, family members who came up empty-handed this Mother's Day were bailed out by the Jalisco…

ARMS TRAFFICKING / 21 SEP 2022

Trinidad and Tobago's homicide rate has past 400 for the year and authorities appear unable to stop it.

FEATURED / 28 APR 2021

The deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl has displaced heroin as the leading driver of the ongoing opioid crisis in the United…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…