Mexican Military returns guns to border police

REYNOSA — The Mexican military is in the process of rearming municipal police forces along the Tamaulipas border, Reynosa Police Chief Juan Jose Muñiz said on Monday.

Last month, federal soldiers confiscated weapons from police in Reynosa, Nuevo Laredo, Miguel Alemán, Rio Bravo, Miguel Alemán, Matamoros and Valle Hermosa as part of an effort to root out police corruption, specifically collusion with drug cartels.

On Saturday, guns were returned to police in Nuevo Laredo and Reynosa; Rio Bravo police received their weapons Sunday morning. Officers in Miguel Alemán received their weapons almost two weeks ago.

Muniz said he believed the military had been checking to see whether their guns could be connected to past murders, as was the case in previous military raids on local police forces.

A total of 580 guns were returned to police in Reynosa, including Beretta handguns, Uzi machine guns, shotguns and AR-15 and M1 assault rifles, Muñiz said.

“The inspection is over for the moment,” Rio Bravo Police Chief Adan Nava Correa said.

Shortly after Mexican President Felipe Calderon ordered soldiers to the Tamaulipas a series of shoot outs between authorities and suspected drug traffickers ensued. The soldiers have been a fixture in Reynosa and other border towns ever since.

Raids on suspected Gulf Cartel and Zeta hideouts have been frequent. Last week, soldiers arrested five men after a raid in Miguel Alemán netted 89 assault rifles, 10 tons of marijuana, three grenades and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition.

No timeline has been set for the Mexican military’s withdrawal.