US Ammunition Plant Linked to Mexican Cartel Violence | ICIJ Investigation

A significant portion of ammunition used by Mexican drug cartels originates from a U.S. Army facility, according to recent findings. The Lake City plant, located outside of Kansas City, Missouri, has been identified as the source of 47% of the .50-caliber cartridges seized by Mexican authorities since 2012 – totaling 137,000 cartridges.

Ammunition Supply Chain

The Lake City plant is the largest manufacturer of rifle rounds for the U.S. Military and has supplied ammunition to American consumers for over two decades. Agreements between the U.S. Army and private contractors operating the plant have allowed .50-caliber ammunition, including armor-piercing incendiary rounds, to enter the retail market.

Did You Know? The Lake City plant is contracted to be capable of producing up to 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition annually.

Investigative records show that cartridges bearing the Lake City initials, “L.C.”, were found at the sites of at least four attacks carried out by criminal organizations in Mexico. These incidents include a massacre of 13 policemen in Michoacán and an attack on the town hall in Villa Unión, resulting in the deaths of six and the injury of nineteen cartel members.

Cartel Use of .50-Caliber Rounds

Mexican cartels have increasingly utilized .50-caliber rifles, which are nearly five-feet long and weigh around 30 pounds, to attack Mexican authorities. These weapons have been used to down helicopters, assassinate officials and carry out massacres, resulting in at least 121 deaths in 87 attacks since 2003. As of spring 2022, these guns were used in at least seven attacks on Mexican military and police helicopters, according to an ATF briefing.

Expert Insight: The ability of cartels to acquire powerful ammunition like .50-caliber rounds highlights the challenges in controlling the flow of weapons and ammunition across international borders, even with stated goals from successive U.S. Administrations to curb such trafficking.

The Mexican government, under President Claudia Sheinbaum, has seized 18,000 firearms, with 78% originating in the U.S. This includes 215 .50-caliber rifles. While the trafficking of firearms is well-documented, the volume of ammunition crossing the border – millions of rounds annually – is less understood, particularly given the limited federal restrictions on ammunition purchases within the U.S.

The Army maintains that the arrangement with Lake City’s contractors, allowing for commercial sales of excess production, saves taxpayers approximately $50 million each year. Recent efforts to address the issue include a new initiative announced in September by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, aimed at halting the trafficking of guns and ammunition to Mexico. However, a recent Supreme Court decision blocked a lawsuit by the Mexican government against gunmakers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What percentage of seized cartridges came from the Lake City plant?

According to the Defense Minister Gen. Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, 47% of the .50-caliber cartridges seized by Mexican authorities since 2012 came from the Lake City plant.

How have cartels used these weapons?

Cartels have used .50-caliber rifles to down helicopters, assassinate government officials, shoot at police and military forces, and massacre civilians, resulting in at least 121 deaths in 87 attacks since 2003.

What is the U.S. Army’s relationship with the Lake City plant?

The U.S. Army contracts with private companies to operate the Lake City plant, requiring it to be capable of producing up to 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition annually. In exchange, the contractors are allowed to sell excess production to commercial markets.

Given the documented flow of ammunition from the U.S. To Mexican cartels, what further steps might be considered to address this issue?