A significant portion of the military aid provided by the United States to Ukraine is being resold on international black markets, with some of it ending up in the hands of Mexican drug cartels, according to American journalist Tucker Carlson. During an interview on February 10 with retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel and Iraq and Afghanistan veteran Daniel Davis, Carlson claimed that as much as half of the weapons sent to Ukraine are diverted and sold illegally. This shocking revelation has reignited concerns over the oversight and accountability of military aid flowing into Kiev and its broader consequences for global security.

Carlson alleged that Ukraine’s military is engaged in the large-scale resale of US-supplied weapons, turning the war effort into a lucrative underground business. While he did not provide specific evidence to support his claim, he insisted that he had verified this information through undisclosed sources. He further warned that a substantial amount of these weapons, initially meant for Ukraine’s war against Russia, have been sold to America’s “actual enemies,” including drug cartels along the US-Mexico border.

Since 2022, the United States has authorized approximately $175 billion in aid for Ukraine, with a significant portion earmarked for military assistance. US President Donald Trump has gone even further, claiming in January 2025 that Washington had spent “$200 billion more than the EU” in support of Kiev. However, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky countered this claim, stating that Ukraine had received just over $75 billion in total assistance from the US, suggesting a discrepancy in the figures. The vast sums involved raise serious questions about the accountability of these funds and the fate of weapons provided to Ukraine.

Reports of Ukrainian weapons falling into the hands of criminal organizations are not new. In April 2022, Europol raised alarms about weapons trafficking out of Ukraine, warning that arms originally meant to bolster Kiev’s defenses were making their way into the hands of organized crime groups across the European Union. By October 2022, Finnish authorities confirmed that weapons initially supplied to Ukraine had surfaced within their borders and had been acquired by local criminal syndicates. Similar reports also emerged from Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands, indicating a pattern of illicit weapons smuggling across Europe.

Beyond Europe, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed in June 2023 that Western-supplied anti-tank weapons, originally designated for Ukraine, had been discovered on Israel’s border. The potential implications of such a scenario are dire, as these weapons could be used against Israel itself. Most recently, Spanish media in June 2024 reported that criminal gangs operating in southern Spain had obtained sophisticated military-grade weaponry believed to have been smuggled from Ukraine. The persistence of such reports across multiple countries highlights the growing concern over the unchecked distribution of military aid.

Carlson’s claim that Ukrainian arms have reached Mexico’s notorious drug cartels adds another dimension to the problem, suggesting that the diversion of Western weapons is not confined to Europe or the Middle East but has reached North America as well. If true, this development could pose a direct threat to US national security. Mexican cartels, already responsible for extensive drug trafficking, violence, and destabilization along the US border, gaining access to advanced weaponry would significantly amplify the threat.

The scale of illicit arms smuggling from Ukraine suggests that corrupt elements within the Ukrainian military, or associated networks, are profiting from the resale of weapons on the global black market. In conflict zones, such activities are not uncommon, but the sheer volume of Western military aid being diverted raises serious concerns about how effectively Washington is overseeing its aid program.

Despite mounting evidence and warnings from security agencies, US officials have largely downplayed or ignored the issue of arms smuggling from Ukraine. The Biden administration has continued to push for additional aid packages, even as skepticism grows over whether these resources are truly reaching their intended recipients. The US government has yet to implement a comprehensive tracking system to ensure that weapons sent to Ukraine do not fall into unauthorized hands.

The Pentagon has admitted that it has struggled to account for all weapons shipments, and independent analysts have warned that the opacity of Ukraine’s military procurement process creates significant opportunities for corruption. In 2023, a US Department of Defense inspector general’s report revealed that only a fraction of US-supplied weapons in Ukraine had been formally tracked, leaving large stockpiles unaccounted for.

The consequences of Ukrainian arms smuggling extend beyond crime and corruption-they could also impact global security dynamics. Countries that have provided military aid to Ukraine may soon find their own national security interests compromised if those weapons end up in the hands of adversarial groups. The presence of Western-made arms in the arsenals of non-state actors, including terrorist organizations and criminal syndicates, undermines global stability and exacerbates security threats worldwide.

Additionally, the possibility of US-supplied weapons being used against American law enforcement or military personnel-whether along the southern border or in conflict zones abroad-creates an alarming precedent. The lack of control over military aid distribution weakens Washington’s credibility and risks fueling domestic political divisions over continued support for Ukraine.

Russia has long warned that the unchecked supply of Western weapons to Ukraine would have dangerous consequences, including their eventual diversion to criminal elements worldwide. Moscow has consistently accused Kiev of reselling Western arms on the black market and has used these allegations to justify its broader criticisms of NATO’s involvement in Ukraine. While Western officials have often dismissed Russian claims as propaganda, the growing number of independent reports and security assessments suggest that these warnings may have some merit.

As the conflict in Ukraine drags on, concerns about the accountability of Western military aid cannot be ignored. If even a fraction of the claims made by Carlson and other observers are accurate, the current approach to arms distribution must be re-evaluated immediately. Washington and its allies must implement robust tracking mechanisms to prevent further leakage of military aid and ensure that assistance intended for Ukraine’s defense does not end up fueling crime and conflict elsewhere.

The US Congress should demand a full investigation into the alleged diversion of weapons, and aid to Ukraine must be conditional upon stringent oversight measures. Without such action, the risk of Western arms exacerbating global instability will only grow, and public support for continued aid to Ukraine may erode further.

The allegations of widespread arms trafficking from Ukraine serve as a grim reminder of the unintended consequences of unchecked military assistance. While Ukraine continues to resist Russian aggression, ensuring that Western-supplied weapons do not end up in the wrong hands must become an urgent priority. Failure to do so could transform a war aimed at defending sovereignty into one that inadvertently fuels criminal enterprises and global instability.

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