Reports that an alleged “Cartel member” was filmed carrying what looked like a Javalin missile (video by Milenio TV here) have lead to speculation (perhaps fed by Russia Today) that “suplused” (i.e. stolen) black market US Military supplies are being diverted from Ukraine to … Mexico?

I can well believe that US weaponry for Ukrainians are being diverted to criminal organizations (likely with the connivance of Ukrainian officials, and/or those foreign “volunteers” ), although one would assume there are plenty of other criminal enterprises much closer to the eastern edge of Europe with willing buyers.

Likely, the “javalin” (if it is, indeed, a javalin) came the same way most criminal firepower comes into this country… from the United States. Military grade weapons thefts have been a concern for several years (story from 2021 here) and, with the lax controls on the transfers of weapons to the Ukraine, I can easily imagine some being diverted for off-the-books sales closer to home.

The reason this IS a story, though, prbably has less to do with what the weapon is, but what it represents… Mexico has always been loathe to get itself tangled up in US foreign policies, especially those involving military adventures. Between that, some nostagia for the old Soviet Union as a counterweight to the “colossus of the north”, and genuine anger over not just recent statements by irresponsible US politicans about sending US troops (and, obviously, weapons) to Mexico to fight the kind of guys who are carrying javilines (or alleged javilines), the US has been rightly criticized (and it’s a criticism heard more and more) for “demanding” Mexican halt it’s northward narcotics trade, while defending (or failing to do much of anything) about its own sothbound arms exports.