Posted: 4/7/2011 5:46:07 AM EDT
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'Bus Loads Of Drug Dead' Found At US Border
Last Updated 14:31 07/04/2011 At least 59 bodies have been found on a ranch in Mexico's northern state of Tamaulipas on the US border, shortly after several bus loads of migrants went missing. Eight illegal mass graves filled with corpses were uncovered in La Joya, a farming village in the San Fernando township, authorities said. They feared the number of dead would rise as remains have only been counted in three of the eight pits. Police learned on March 25 that several buses had disappeared in the area, leading to their investigation which turned up the grisly find during a military patrol. The Tamaulipas state prosecutor's office said 11 people had been arrested and another five kidnapping victims had been set free in the same operation. "With our work that is under way, we are trying to establish if the remains are those of the people who went missing on the buses," the prosecutor's statement said. The graves are in the same town of San Fernando where 72 migrants from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador and Brazil were killed last August for refusing to work for drug traffickers. Meanwhile, the ongoing deaths has sparked massive protests against drug violence that the government has failed to stem. On Wednesday thousands of outraged citizens took to the streets of 38 Mexican cities, venting anger over widespread violence linked to the country's illegal drug trade. Crowds swelled to about 10,000 in Mexico City, while hundreds of drug enforcement officers from across the world met at an annual conference in the resort of Cancun. The protest marches were organized following the murder of a well-known author's son along with four close friends and two others on March 28. Organisers said protesters had gathered in 38 cities across the country, and outside Mexico's diplomatic missions in the United States, Britain, France, Argentina, Peru and Chile. Seven major drug gangs are operating in Mexico whose bloody clashes have left over 34,600 people dead since December 2006, when President Felipe Calderon's government launched a military crackdown that has so far failed to put a damper on the violence. Over 3,000 people have been killed this year alone, according to figures cited by the Mexican media. Authorities said Saturday that 20 people were killed in less than 24 hours in Mexico's Ciudad Juarez, which borders the US state of Texas. Most of the violence is blamed on drug cartels who fight for control of lucrative drug routes into the United States. |
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there are some interesting threads and loads of photos here
Been following this for a while now, the weaponary is astonishing 
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More bodies were found in Tamaulipas at the same time as graves were discovered in Sinaloa Forensic experts in Mexico have found 13 bodies buried in shallow graves in northwestern Sinaloa state. Investigators said the victims had been shot in the head, execution-style. The find comes at the same time as officials unearthed another 10 bodies in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, bringing the total to 126. Mexican Interior Secretary Francisco Blake Mora said the government would not tolerate such atrocities and promised to send more troops. He said the military would not leave the area until those responsible for the crime had been caught. Sinaloa graves Authorities were alerted to the mass graves in Sinaloa by a local farmer who noticed a strong smell coming from the field where the bodies were buried. When a mass grave is found, relatives of the missing come to hear if family members are among the victims The bodies were found in seven shallow pits. Forensic experts said the victims were killed some five or six months ago. Two of the victims were female and were wearing clothes which match those of two students who went missing in October. Officials said they were still awaiting DNA and dental tests to confirm if they were indeed the two students. One of the male bodies is believed to be that of Edgar Binuela Gutierrez, a doctor who was kidnapped in August in a nearby town. Investigators said they could identify him because he was wearing a bracelet bearing his name when he was killed. Tamaulipas killings The discovery of the Sinaloa graves came as investigators continued to unearth bodies from mass graves in Tamaulipas state, where a total of 126 have now been uncovered over the past week. The Mexican government blamed the Zetas drug cartel for those killings. The authorities have arrested 17 people in connection with the discovery of the bodies. The federal government has deployed a special investigative team to try and track down the leaders of the cartel. Founded by former members of the Mexican special forces, the Zetas cartel is widely believed to be one of the most ruthless groups operating in the country. Well-trained and well-armed they first acted as hitmen for the Gulf cartel, before setting up their own criminal organisation, police say. They are also believed to be behind the killing last August of 72 migrants from South and Central America, who were killed in the same town for refusing to join their ranks. |
..wish
