U.S. high school students are part of a clandestine network that acquires handguns and high-caliber rifles to sell almost exclusively to Mexican cartels based in U.S. territory, according to investigations by Washington officials and drug-trafficking specialists cited by The New York Times.

Security authorities say criminal groups are intensifying the recruitment of teenagers and young adults in border states such as Arizona. This phenomenon is driven by territorial proximity to Mexico, the density of criminal operators on U.S. soil, and the appeal of quick money, a dynamic accelerated by encrypted messaging tools such as WhatsApp and Telegram.

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One young man involved in the network told the U.S. outlet that his group of friends raised $700 by selling snacks and taking temporary restaurant jobs. An adult member used that capital to buy a Kalashnikov-type rifle at an authorized store and resold it for $1,200, a cycle of constant reinvestment that expanded their operational capacity. One participant said he did not care what the buyers did or whom they killed, as long as he made money, and added that he was sure they were not innocent.

Minors typically store the weapons in private homes or clandestine collection points until emissaries of the criminal organizations come to retrieve them. On certain occasions, they hire peers to move the weapons across the border and deliver them to specific locations inside Mexico.

#Mexico | Claudia Sheinbaum defended Mexico’s sovereignty after Donald Trump criticized the country over cartel violence at the UN, stressing that only Mexicans can determine their country’s future.
She said cooperation with the U.S. will continue, but with respect for Mexican… pic.twitter.com/h18xUqUIE1

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) September 26, 2026

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