Corruption is a key component of the arms trafficking networks that funnel state-owned weapons into the hands of organized crime, according to a new report.
Military and police personnel are particularly at-risk of corruption, but so are prosecutors, border guards, and authorities in charge of supply logistics, approving imports and exports, and providing firearm licenses.
Such corruption-fuelled diversion “empowers organized crime, fuels armed conflict and violence, weakens military effectiveness, and undermines governance and security around the world”, the report states.
The report’s conclusions were drawn from a review of over 400 cases of military personnel and other state officials from 70 countries who were charged with or convicted for diverting weapons towards unauthorized actors – most notably criminal groups but also political militias and private armies.
From State Armories to Criminal Groups
The theft and sale of weapons by authorized users was the most common way that state-owned arms were diverted to criminal organizations, TI-DS found.
Over 60% of cases involving authorized users implicated a low-level member of the security forces selling their weapons for extra income. The diversion of large quantities of arms and ammunition, in contrast, usually requires the participation of a high-level official. Several cases seen in recent years illustrate this dynamic.
In Paraguay, several former staff of the Directorate of War Material (Dirección de Material Bélico – Dimabel) were detained on charges of facilitating a transnational arms-trafficking scheme that sold at least 25,000 weapons to Brazil’s PCC and CV.
In Colombia, three officials in charge of a military depot were detained in December 2024 for diverting arms, munitions, and explosives intended for delivery to military garrisons into the hands of the ex-FARC mafia. And in Mexico, a corrupt colonel not only supplied a criminal gang with all types of arms and intelligence, he allegedly even offered to help locate a prosecutor the group was planning to assassinate.
In some cases, corrupt connections are established by former security officials turned criminals. As InSight Crime has previously reported, such was the case in Venezuela, where José Antonio Tovar, alias “El Picure,” a former sergeant, used his military connections to arm his gang, Tren del Llano.
Criminals Are Taking Advantage of Private Security Companies
Organized crime groups also secure weapons diverted from private security organizations, according to the report. In Latin America, security is regularly outsourced to private actors such as community defense groups and private security companies but states lack mechanisms for keeping track of the weapons they provide to these organizations and individuals,TI-DS found.
Private security organizations are not only a source of arms for criminals, but they can also provide a convenient legal cover for sourcing and carrying weapons. Such dynamics were recently exposed in Colombia, where the Attorney General is currently investigating numerous companies for registering known criminals as bodyguards with weapon permits for a monthly fee.
Widespread Corruption, Impunity, and Weak Oversight Are Key Structural Failures
The issue of diversion of weapons is exacerbated by generalized corruption in the security forces, especially in institutions where payment, promotion, and posting assignments are integrated into the chain of command. This normalization of corruption creates incentives for diverting weapons and leads to poor oversight mechanisms and a general culture of impunity, creating the space for arms trafficking to flourish.
In some military branches, senior officials economically exploit their juniors, embezzling their salaries or demanding bribes for promotions and preferred postings. According to the report, this is mainly because they are systems where chains of command are closely linked to pay chains, which gives superiors more extensive power over the lower rank soldiers. This can create negative incentives for military personnel to engage in corruption associated with the diversion of weapons. The report identified Mexico as one of the countries where such abuse of power was most common.
The problem is compounded by widespread impunity for corruption, abuses, and misconduct. TI-DS found that most countries “fail completely to investigate or discipline abuses even in the face of clear evidence, or their investigations are highly superficial and rarely result in disciplinary action.”
Some investigations end before they even begin. This was the case in Colombia, where a sergeant who had reported the loss of a range of military equipment after carrying out an inventory of a regional depot received death threats and was suddenly discharged when he insisted on an in-depth investigation.
Featured Image: Weapons seized by Mexico’s Army. Credit: Juan Carlos Lozano, Proceso, Mexico.
