US says it has spent $1B to stem gun smuggling
Apparently rattled by several CARICOM nations joining with Mexico to make American gun manufacturers accountable for their products and the mayhem they cause, the US embassy in The Bahamas has rushed to defend American proactive initiatives to address the issue.
The mission said in a statement on Monday that Washington has worked through the umbrella the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) to design programs to stem gun violence and smuggling of illegal weapons in the region in recent years, saying it has on multiple occasions partnered with Caribbean law enforcement agencies in this area.
“Over the past 12 years, the CBSI has devoted nearly $1 billion to programs designed to reduce illicit trafficking, increase citizen security, and prevent youth crime and violence. Our actions demonstrate the US government’s commitment to helping The Bahamas and the Caribbean effectively address firearms trafficking. We will continue our mission to remove illegal guns from the streets and work with our partners to address violent crime.”
The embassy was reacting to last week’s announcement by The Bahamas that it was signing on to plans by Mexico to sue US manufacturers to hold them accountable for the weapons of death that they produce and sell.
Antigua, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago have all signed on, or have announced plans to become interested parties to the impending lawsuit. Other nations like Guyana and Jamaica have been touted as possible signatories to the effort but no announcement has as yet been made.
Authorities in Trinidad, Jamaica, The Bahamas, St. Lucia and Barbados have all been battling serious spikes in gun violence in recent years with Trinidad emerging as a country of serious concern to the 15-nation bloc. Leaders are headed to the island in mid April for a special summit on crime and security. The smuggling and the apparent ease of obtaining high powered weapons is high on the agenda, officials say. Trinidad broke all reporting records last year with more than 600 killings, surpassing the 2008 figure of 529.
Defending its honor, the mission said that it has helped to “take down the networks of those who profit from the illicit gun trade. Our attachés from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) in Jamaica, The Bahamas, and Trinidad support host country investigations into firearms trafficking cases. In collaboration with their regional counterparts from the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) they enforce US export laws and investigate firearms and ammunition smuggling operations that violate these laws,” the mission statement said.
It pointed to an operation when a joint effort involving 19 countries last September led to the seizure of 350 weapons, 3, 300 rounds of ammunition and 10 tons of cocaine. “In another incident, in March 2022, multiple international sting operations led to 111 seizures, including 446 firearms and 188,256 rounds of ammunition,” it said as it defended American assistance to the region.
