VIEW LARGER Border officials in Nogales seized more than a dozen assault rifles, a record for the year, and nearly 10,000 rounds of AK-style ammunition during the second week in June. The weapons and ammunition were being smuggled into Mexico. A complaint in the federal case alleges that three Tucson gun dealers — Diamondback, SnG Tactical and The Hub — all knowingly participate in trafficking guns into Mexico. It also names Ammo AZ in Phoenix and Sprague’s Sports in Yuma.
Jonathan Lowy is co-counsel for Mexico in the case.
“This lawsuit is one part of the government of Mexico’s effort to reduce gun crime and cartel violence in Mexico and some of those harms spread into the United States and other countries as well,” he said.
The “Tucson corridor,” from Tucson to Nogales, Sonora, is one of the three largest gun smuggling corridors in the U.S.
In Thursday’s hearing, a federal judge will rule on the defendant’s motion to dismiss the case. This follows a similar case a judge upheld a few weeks ago — a $10 billion lawsuit filed by Mexico against American gun makers.
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