Mexican authorities find 11 clandestine graves with 15 bodies near border with Guatemala
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — Eleven clandestine graves with the bodies of 15 men were located in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, where a dispute between the Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación drug cartels is taking place, local authorities said Sunday.
Chiapas Gov. Eduardo Ramírez Aguilar said on his social media channels that the findings came as the result of a raid in the city of La Concordia, near Mexico ‘s border with Guatemala. He said four people connected to the case had been arrested with weapons and drugs.
The state prosecutor’s office said in a statement that the raid took place in two different properties. The first site had three bodies in three graves and in the second, eight graves with 12 bodies.
“It is worth mentioning that for these operations technological tools such as drones and geo-radars were used, in addition to aerial overflight, ground search, field forensics, back-excavation and drills,” it said.
Chiapas Prosecutor General Jorge Luis Llaven Abarca said last week that another clandestine grave with charred bodies was found in Emiliano Zapata, neighboring La Concordia, but did not give more details because of the poor state of the bodies for identification.
The dispute over drug routes, migrant trafficking and weapons has left more than 10,000 people displaced in recent years, including Mexicans fleeing to Guatemala, according to reports from humanitarian organizations.