Mexican gov't says 400, not 1,030, arrested during operation against human trafficking in Ciudad Juarez

Mexican gov't says 400, not 1,030, arrested during operation against human trafficking in Ciudad Juarez

2011-07-26 11:48:09 GMT+7 (ICT)

CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO (BNO NEWS) -- The Mexican government, which earlier claimed that more than 1,000 people were arrested in an operation against human trafficking and sexual exploitation in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, on Monday revised that figure to only 400.

On Sunday, the Secretariat of Public Security (SSP) said a total of 1,030 people, including 530 women, were arrested and 20 under-aged girls were rescued by federal police in the operation which took place at 24 clubs, three hotels and two guest houses in the city center on Friday.

However, according to the Attorney General's Office in Chihuahua on Monday, only 400 people were arrested and only five young girls were rescued during the raid against human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of minors. The operation was carried out as part of the AMBER Alert Program, which is designed to locate missing children.

Carlos González, the Attorney General's spokesman, gave the figure of the operation, denying the figures presented earlier by the SSP.

Among the five rescued girls is Sayra Durán Sánchez who was missing since May 31. The other children, who were being sexually exploited in bars and hotels in the area, were located wandering around the streets of the northern Mexican city.

Ciudad Juárez is considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world and is often referred to as the murder capital of Mexico. As a critical site for drug traffickers, violence in the city has increased dramatically since President Felipe Calderón intensified the crackdown on organized crime in 2006.

Number of people arrested during human trafficking operation in Mexico revised down to 400

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