Mexico: At least 19 dead in clashes between drug traffickers in the south

At least 19 people were killed in Mexico, including four Guatemalans, during a clash between two drug cartels in the southern state of Chiapas, the Security Ministry announced on Monday, revising its death toll downwards.

In a goods truck, “14 men were found murdered by firearm, two others in the cabin, two on the side and another about 100 meters away,” he said in a statement, which previously reported 20 deaths.

The events occurred last Friday in the town of La Concordia, a few hours drive from the border with Guatemala.

Cartel against cartel

According to the ministry, initial investigations indicate that it is a “confrontation” between the Sinaloa cartel, one of the most powerful in the country, and a rival faction identified as the “Chiapas and Guatemala cartel.”

The authorities emphasize that the two criminal groups “are competing for control of this border area” and according to the statement, “it has been established that at least four of the deceased carried identity cards issued by the Guatemalan government.”

Cartel-related violence has left some 450,000 dead and more than 100,000 missing in Mexico since 2006, when then-president Felipe Calderon (2006-2012) launched a military offensive against drug trafficking.

In June, Mexican authorities transferred to shelters more than 4,000 people who had sought refuge in their homes after several days of violence linked to organized crime in the city of Tula, about 100 kilometers north of La Concordia.

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