Mexican TV Spots Cartel Wielding Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher In Border Town Near Texas

The Mexican government has been waging war against drug cartels for over a decade with limited success. These cartels illegally procure modern military equipment from Western countries, making the fight comparable to those in Middle Eastern warzones. 

On Wednesday, Mexican TV channel Milenio published an article titled “Mexican cartels prepare for a war; they have military grade ROCKET LAUNCHER” that shows a video of a Gulf Cartel (Cartel Del Golfo, CDG) member carrying a “military-grade grenade launcher during a checkpoint in Matamoros, Tamaulipas.” 

Milenio’s Azucena Uresti identified the rocket launcher as a Raytheon-made FGM-148 Javelin. She noted the rocket launcher on the black market fetches anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000. 

#AzucenaALas10 | En #Tamaulipas, un presunto miembro del Cártel del Golfo fue grabado portando una de las armas más exclusivas y poderosas, un “javelín”, que ha sido utilizado durante la invasión a Ucrania con un valor de entre 20 mil y 60 mil dólares pic.twitter.com/2BGtJMc2Xl

— Azucena Uresti (@azucenau) May 31, 2023

After further review, the rocket launcher might be an AT-4, a Swedish-made disposable anti-tank launcher, which was also sent to Ukraine with Javelins. Nevertheless, these military-grade weapons are turning up in Mexican border towns during the worst US southern border crisis in history. 

Matamoros directly borders Brownsville, Texas. 

But don’t worry because the Biden administration repeatedly states everything is fine on the border.