The seizure data allows for the first quantitative comparison of the modes of transport used in US-based firearms trafficking to the Caribbean and Latin America (see Table 5[1]). As in the previous sections, the data supports some common assumptions about trafficking to these regions and challenges others. The data shows that the most frequently cited mode of transport for shipments to the Caribbean and Latin America other than Mexico was commercial air cargo, not maritime shipping, which is frequently cited as the primary mode of trafficking to the Caribbean. Maritime shipments to the Caribbean only accounted for a little over a third of all seizures and were second to commercial air seizures. Even fewer seizures to Latin America were found on maritime vessels, comprising just 13 per cent of all seizures.
This data appears to be at odds with claims that most US-sourced firearms are trafficked to the Caribbean by sea, but may be a bit misleading in this regard. A US law enforcement official interviewed by the Survey reiterated the conventional belief that most trafficking to the Caribbean is via maritime shipping. The high percentage of seized air shipments, he explained, ‘is likely a data collection issue. Air shipments are more heavily scrutinized and therefore trafficking attempts are more likely to be detected’ (US ICE, 2024). Corroborating this claim—and fully reconciling it with the data—requires access to data that is not currently in the public domain.
The data is consistent with previous research indicating that the vast majority of firearms trafficking to Mexico occurs over land borders, mostly in non-commercial vehicles.[2] Seizures from buses, private cars, non-commercial trucks, and vans comprised 91 per cent of all Mexico-bound seizures. When seizures from bicyclists, pedestrians, and commercial trucks are included, this figure increases to 96 per cent. Fast parcel (‘express consignment’) and postal shipments (‘mail’) combined accounted for the second-largest proportion of shipments to Latin America outside of Mexico and the third-largest to the Caribbean, which is consistent with the increasing attention that the authorities are paying to these trafficking modes.
[1] The US Department of Homeland Security provides the following descriptions of these transport modes: Auto: Non-commercial personal vehicle; Bus: Non-commercial bus; Commercial Air: Commercial cargo shipping aircraft; Commercial Truck: Commercial cargo shipping truck; Commercial Vessel: Commercial cargo shipping vessel;Express Consignment: Express consignment carrier facility; Mail: Mail; No Transportation Involved: Conveyance was not used in the commission of the crime; Other: Conveyances not otherwise categorized, such as ultralight aircraft, canoes, etc.; Pedestrian: Person(s); Private Aircraft: General aviation aircraft; Train: Commercial and Non-commercial trains; Truck: Non-commercial truck; Van: Non-commercial van; Vessel: Non-commercial vessel (US OHSS, n.d.).
[2] See Schroeder (2016, p. 6) and US GAO (2021, p. 21).
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