Mexico to tackle corruption in customs and ports

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When U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Mexico in July, the Mexican government demanded a greater commitment in the fight against arms smuggling ; a phenomenon that has been identified as one of the main causes behind the high crimes rates registered in Mexico in recent years. Nevertheless, the country can also step up its efforts, including tighter control of its customs and its employees .

Last week, the National Defense Minister revealed that there are around 1,679,000 weapons illegally circulating in Mexico and that authorities are working to seize them, nevertheless, if their entry into the country had been prevented, the army wouldn't have to trace them. The majority of these trafficking operations were allowed and protected by customs officials and airport personnel .

In early 2019, the Tax Administration Service (SAT) fired its corrupt employees working in customs ; on that same day, the SAT filed 7 lawsuits against employees linked to arms, ammunition, and money trafficking . In April, the General Customs Administration seized a historical number of counterfeit goods in Mexico City's airport .

Today EL UNIVERSAL reveals that the Attorney General's Office is currently investigating a network formed by officials and former customs officials who worked at the international airport for alleged corruption acts, which allowed arms, drugs, and counterfeit goods trafficking .

It is common that each federal administration offers to “clean” the government agencies susceptible to corruption but in the end, they are not able to completely eradicate the malpractices perpetrated by workers and officials .

Tackling corruption in customs is a titanic challenge. In Nuevo Laredo , around 12,500 trucks cross the border every day . At Mexico City's International Airport , in 2017, at least 1,129,367 foreign trade operations were carried out.

Implementing changes in Mexican customs will have a direct impact in different areas: the Defense Ministry and the army won't have to track thousands of weapons that were smuggled into the country; counterfeit won't affect the government's tax revenue , and the crimes perpetrated using firearms will likely decrease. In customs , th e anti-corruption operations should be permanent and if properly implemented, Mexico will solve several issues at the same time.