Mexico City, Aug 14 (IANS): More than two million weapons entered Mexico illegally during the last decade, and over half of them have not been recovered, the Mexican government said.

The figures were announced by the Minister of Defence Luis Cresencio Sandoval at a press conference along with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.

The figures contrast with the 450,625 weapons sold by the government between 2009 and 2019, the minister said.

Moreover, since December 1, 2018, when the term of Lopez Obrador begun, 7,927 weapons have been acquired, "which means that there is not an indiscriminate sale of weaponry as it is being said," Sandoval said.

About 70 per cent of illegal arms trafficking come from the United States, and the rest from European countries such as Spain, Italy and Austria.

In Mexico, carrying firearms is regulated by the Ministry of Defence, and the acquisition of a license is mandatory.