11 more bodies located in mass graves in northern Mexico; 168 overall

11 more bodies located in mass graves in northern Mexico; 168 overall

2011-05-10 03:03:43 GMT+7 (ICT)

DURANGO, MEXICO (BNO NEWS) -- Mexican authorities on Monday informed that eleven more bodies were located a mass grave in Durango State, northern Mexico, bringing the total overall to 168.

According to El Universal newspaper, Durango state police located the bodies of ten men and one woman in a mass grave located in Valle de Guardiana neighborhood in Durango City.

With the bodies found on Monday, authorities have unearthed at least 168 bodies while some speculate that more corpses might be buried in other locations. Last Tuesday, a clandestine grave containing six bodies was found in the southern area of the city.

Throughout April, dozens of bodies were found in nearby sites in Durango State. The discoveries have been a result of a joint operation by the Federal Police and the Mexican Army.

The findings were a result of intelligence obtained after the capture of six members of a local organized-crime group. The discovery came about two weeks after 183 bodies were unearthed from mass graves in San Fernando municipality, Tamaulipas State.

Later on, Mexico's Attorney General Marisela Morales announced the arrest of 74 people in relation to the mass graves discoveries. Among the detainees are 17 police officers from San Fernando who protected criminal activities from drug cartels.

It is believed that the victims were people who refused to enlist within the ranks of 'Los Zetas' drug cartel. On April 16, authorities arrested Martin Omar Estrada Luna, the alleged leader of the Zetas cartel in the region.

According to government figures, a total of 15,273 drug-related crimes occurred in Mexico in 2010. More than 30,000 people have died in drug-related violence since Mexican President Felipe Calderon began the fight against organized crime in December 2006.

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