26 bodies found in clandestine graves in western Mexico

First modification: 04/28/2023 – 11:35

The human remains were located with the help of drones and dogs in the community of Cerro de Ortega, in the municipality of Tecomán, in the Mexican state of Colima, where numerous clandestine burials have been identified since 2018.

“To date, 10 clandestine graves have been located and the human and skeletal remains of 26 people have been recovered,” Héctor Javier Peña, head of the office of the Colima Specialized Prosecutor for Disappearance of Persons, said in a message. The excavations continue and the authorities do not rule out the presence of more remains.

Numerous clandestine graves

In Colima, the discovery of clandestine graves has multiplied, most of them in Tecomán, near the neighboring state of Michoacán, in western Mexico, where different criminal cells operate.

In 2019, in this municipality, dedicated to tourism on its beaches and agricultural activities, 69 bodies were found in a series of graves. Last December, another 22 bodies were located in Tecomán.

The state of Colima, located on the Pacific coast, is key in the drug trafficking route, in addition to the fact that its ports are used by drug traffickers for the transfer of drugs or substances such as fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can be up to 50 times more powerful than heroin.

Mexico has recorded more than 340,000 murders and some 100,000 disappearances, the majority attributed to criminal organizations, since the launch of a controversial military anti-drug offensive in December 2006.