German prosecutors brought charges on Tuesday against employees of weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch, whom they accuse of illegally trafficking arms to Mexican federal states to which Berlin has prohibited gun exports.
In 2016, Heckler & Koch, one of the world’s best-known gunmakers, said it would no longer sign contracts to supply countries outside of NATO’s influence because it had become too difficult to obtain government approval for such deals.
However, the Stuttgart prosecutor’s office charged six Heckler & Koch sales employees with violating both the Foreign Trade and the War Weapons Control Acts for delivering rifles and accessories to four Mexican states to which Berlin had prohibited arms exports due to the human rights situation there.
The indictment focuses on 4,500 G36 assault rifles and smaller firearms sent in 16 batches. Prosecutors say they went to violent Mexican states covered by a German arms export ban.
The defendants' lawyers are quoted as saying the guns went legally to a well-controlled police depot.
Mexico is plagued by gang warfare.
H&K guns, made in the south-western town of Oberndorf, are used in conflicts worldwide. Besides Mexico, they have gone to troops and militias in Pakistan, Myanmar (Burma), Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey.
The Stuttgart case was triggered by evidence against H&K presented by peace activist Jürgen Grässlin eight years ago, German media report.
Prosecutors say the exports to Mexico in 2006-2009 violated Germany's War Weapons Control Act and Foreign Trade Act.
