Mexico
Police find 45 bags of body parts in ravine
In the Mexican state of Jalisco, where the police discovered the body parts, human remains have repeatedly been found in hidden graves in recent years
© ULISES RUIZ / AFP
In western Mexico, police have found at least 45 bags of body parts while searching for seven missing people. It is still unclear how many fatalities the human remains come from and whether the missing are also among them.
While searching for seven missing people in the western state of Jalisco, Mexican police have uncovered at least 45 bags of human remains. The body parts found in a ravine came from “both male and female people,” the local prosecutor said on Thursday (local time).
According to the information, the sacks were found on Tuesday at the foot of a 40-meter-deep ravine in Zapopan, a suburb of the industrial metropolis Guadalajara. Authorities had previously launched a search for two women and five men, all in their 30s. They have been missing since May 20th. All seven worked in a call center not far from the site.
It was initially unclear how many fatalities the body parts came from. Initial investigations concluded that the call center could be involved in illegal activities. Local media reported that authorities found marijuana and a blood-stained cloth and cleaning rag. Relatives of the missing accused the police of wanting to criminalize the victims.
Organized crime in Mexico
Body parts have repeatedly been found in sacks or hidden graves in Jalisco in recent years. Controlled by the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the state is particularly vulnerable to organized crime violence. According to local media, the remains of 33 people were found in hidden graves in the Guadalajara area alone in the first two months of this year.
Mexico
In Mexico, parents have their children trained to use weapons so that they are prepared for the violence in the country
A bitter drug war has been raging between rival cartels in Mexico for years. Since the Mexican state launched an offensive against drug cartels in 2006, there have been more than 340,000 murders and around 100,000 missing persons.