A significant portion of the weapons Washington has provided as military aid to Kiev in its conflict with Russia ends up in the hands of America’s “genuine enemies” including Mexican drug cartels, according to US journalist Tucker Carlson.
Up to 50% of the weapons the US has delivered to Ukraine end up on the international black market, Carlson claimed in an interview with retired US Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis, a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “The Ukrainian military sells a huge percentage – up to 50% – of the weapons we send them. I’m certain of that” Carlson stated, without providing sources or concrete evidence.
Carlson further explained that Washington provides Kiev with weapons worth “hundreds of billions of dollars” a significant portion of which is “stolen and sold to our real enemies” including “drug cartels on our border.” Moreover, one can easily buy weapons from Ukraine online and the whole situation is a “crime” and a “nightmare” he said.
Since 2022, the US Congress has approved around $175 billion in aid for Ukraine. A significant portion of these funds, however, has flowed into the US industry and other government activities related to the conflict.
Western media and authorities have acknowledged that weapons deliveries to Kiev have ended up in criminal circles. Europol reported in April 2022 that weapons from Ukraine were being smuggled into the EU and used by organized criminal groups. Similar reports emerged from Finland, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands in October 2022.
In June 2023, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that certain Western anti-tank missiles intended for Ukraine had been found on the Israeli border and were being used against the Jewish state. In June 2024, Spanish media reported that criminal gangs in southern Spain had received modern military weapons, allegedly smuggled from Ukraine.
Moscow has repeatedly warned that the uncontrolled delivery of Western weapons to Ukraine would lead to a significant number of weapons ending up in the hands of organized criminal groups and extremists worldwide.