Mexico has again hosted the largest arms and security fair in Latin America - the three-day Expo Seguridad.
While the Mexico City event attracts manufacturers from 28 countries, it is also a major source of controversy given the security problems Mexico has faced since 2006.
During the event, exhibitors display coats that can stop bullets and armored cars that can withstand a burst of fire from an AK-47 rifle. The sale of such items has grown steadily over the past decade, fueled by a drug war that his hit parts of Mexico hard.
“The sale of civilian protective gear has increased significantly. Demand for bulletproof vests and private bodyguards has also grown by a large margin. We have seen a huge potential market for our business,” said Oscar Loaiza, a bulletproof clothing supplier.
Yet the presence of arms companies, and particularly foreign arms companies, stirs up ill-feeling among certain sectors of the population. While U.S. demand for illegal drugs has fueled the drug trade, the smuggling of U.S. guns, mostly purchased legally, has also armed drug cartels south of the border. According to the U.S. Justice Department, 70 percent of the guns recovered from cartels between 2006 and 2011 came from the United States.
The Mexican government has also criticized Germany for its role in trafficking weapons to Mexico. During a meeting of the Mexico-Germany Friendship Group in the Senate, the Europeans were asked to investigate the presence of German rifles in criminal incidents like the disappearance of 43 students from Guerrero state in 2014. During the missing investigation into the event, 36 rifles made by the German Heckler & Koch company were seized.