U.S. Approves Mexico’s $1.08 Billion Request for Helicopters, Equipment

The U.S. Department of State announced approval for the sale of 11 helicopters, high-tech equipment, and weapons to the Government of Mexico to strengthen its security operations. State Department officials said Sikorsky, part of Lockheed Martin, would handle the sale. The sale will include 11 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, 27 engines, 27 GPS Systems, and 27 radios. The helicopters would come outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment, including night vision, machine guns, and laser targeting systems. The sale also includes training for Mexican soldiers and would require 15 U.S. officials or contractors to travel to Mexico for extended periods to provide training and support for the helicopters. U.S. officials said the sale is meant to modernize Mexico’s helicopter fleet and strengthen relations and cooperation on security matters. The move comes at a time when Mexico has been the topic of much criticism by the Trump administration and Republican legislators for its refusal to fully work with the United States to eradicate drug cartels and to also go after cartel-connected politicians. As Breitbart Texas reported, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has been outspoken about not allowing U.S. troops or agents to operate inside her country, citing national sovereignty. Most other countries in Latin America have joined an international anti-cartel effort called Shield of the Americas, where they have granted the U.S. full cooperation that includes shared intelligence, drone strikes, and joint operations with U.S. troops. The United States is also expected to train military and police partners in Latin America. Mexico, by contrast, has limited international cooperation, limited to intelligence sharing while Mexican authorities carry out the actual operations. In one of the most famous controversies, Mexico’s federal government is currently prosecuting former Chihuahua Attorney General Cesar Jauregui for having run joint operations with agents from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency where they found and dismantled some of the largest drug labs in recent history, Breitbart Texas reported. Sheinbaum and her government have also drawn heavy criticism for refusing to arrest and extradite Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya. As Breitbart Texas reported, Rocha Moya is wanted by the U.S. Department of Justice on a criminal indictment accusing him of drug trafficking conspiracy and weapons charges for allegedly working for the Sinaloa Cartel. Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.