“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat
Sedena informed that there are reports of 19 “Serpientes de fuego” taken from its facilities and 13 rifles lost. No military personnel have died as a result of firing this weapon.
Sedena acknowledges the theft of its FX-05 rifles
The Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) admitted that since it created the FX-05 assault rifle, designed to give its soldiers a lethal arsenal against organized crime, 19 of these high-powered weapons have been officially reported stolen from the Mexican military.
This Wednesday, MILENIO published a report in which it warned that the famous “Fire Serpent,” made in the government’s military industry and which became the pride of the National Defense, now appears with increasing frequency in ambushes by organized crime against the country’s security forces.
In this regard, the Sedena acknowledged that, in addition to the 19 stolen FX-05s, they have reports of 13 missing FX-05 rifles.
These weapons are capable of firing up to 750 bullets per minute at a speed of 920 meters per second, that is, even at a distance of one kilometer they are capable of mortally wounding an adult man. In addition, they are designed to include bayonets for close combat and grenade launchers.
According to the information sent by the National Defense, 11 of the stolen and lost rifles have been secured and there are no reports of soldiers who have lost their lives due to projectiles from these weapons.
Rifles in networks
A search carried out by this newspaper on social networks to find out how many FX-05 are presumed to be in the hands of organized crime suggests that there are more than 100, taking into account photographs and videos in local news, blogs related to organized crime and forums for the sale and purchase of firearms.
These “Sedena-made” rifles were found in the hands of gunmen from the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco New Generation, Gulf, Santa Rosa de Lima, Zetas Old School and Familia Michoacana.
In other words, the weapon created by the Mexican Army to fight the cartels is now used by gunmen to attack municipal and state police, members of the National Guard and the Armed Forces. A creation of the military industry at the service of the war that is now used by drug cartels.