Mexico and Europol Are Collaborating to Fight Against the Trafficking of Weapons

The Mexican Secretariat of Public Safety or the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), along with Europol and the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs are discussing the expansion and development, and to work together regarding security matters.

The SSCP that was established in 2018 is an agency of the administration of Mexico that is a cabinet-level. They are mostly in charge of the supervision of public safety and security. The Secretary of the SSCP is Alfonso Durazo.

Europol is an organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands and is also a law enforcement agency of the European Union. They assist 27 EU Member States and help them fight against terrorism and other kinds of serious crimes. Their main objective is to achieve a safer Europe.

They perform an important role in assisting the Member States in fighting against unauthorized and unlawful trafficking of weapons and explosives. Their tactic is to recognize the networks involved in crimes that supply the terrorist groups with weapons and ammunition. Experts from Europol work strictly with the experts of counter-terrorism on international investigations.

The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs is Mexico's international secretary and is in charge of the enforcement of foreign policy in Mexico.

The terrorist attacks in Europe recently have pushed forces to combat the illegal and illicit trade in firearms. It is quite a small market below the organized criminal group's control.

The trafficking of weapons is nearly only an additional or extra instead of a primary source of income for the few organized criminal groups that are involved. The groups usually enter the business of trafficking of weapons in other forms of criminal activity.

Western Balkans and the former Soviet Union are the origin and home of the organized criminal groups who participate in the trafficking of weapons. The main components of weapons that are illegal are burglaries and thefts; the revitalization of the deactivated army or police firearms and neutralized weapons; the marketing of legal firearms on the illegal stores, like the Darknet; the embezzlement of legal arms; and many more.

Not long ago, Mexico was added in the lineup of important allies with which Europol aims to set up and secure collaborative connections. According to the Mexico Government, their collaboration alongside with the European is a necessary and crucial matter to complete and enhance the capabilities of the nation versus the crimes that are transnational organized. That is specifically to control and restrain the wrong and unlawful course of arms, their resources, ammunition, explosives, and their components.

The conferences were inaugurated to sign and engage in a Working Arrangement between the Europol and the SSPC to assist and back Mexico and the Members State of the European Union in prevention and combat grave and severe evil, corruption, terrorism, and other kinds and sorts of criminal acts, and it is in line with the respective mandates of the Parties, but the approval processes are still pending.

This is the outcome of the high priority both sides to international cooperation have given, including Mexico's great interest to work, through Europol, beside the Member States of the European Union and also with the other organizations and countries stewarded at Europol.