Most of what I have seen in photos of cartel seizures have been Chinese made AKs , their variants.Just FYI kids we're the largest exporter and producer of arms in the world. So while the implication might be our civilian market, it's much more likely military arms in the hands of the cartels. I know for a fact they have machine guns and rocket launchers. Not hearsay. I've seen them.
World's Largest Exporters Of Arms
The United States and Russia are together responsible for over 50% of the global export of arms.www.worldatlas.com