Sinaloa Murder Rate Rises as Drug Cartels Argue Over Leadership and Profits Deutsche Welle
go to original July 1, 2017

In Mexico, more than 2000 people were murdered in May. That’s the highest rate in 20-years. (CGTN America)

At least 19 gunmen have been reported killed and five police officers injured in a shootout with security forces in western Mexico.

The latest clash occurred on Friday evening when gunmen in four vehicles attacked 15 police officers in the town of Villa Union just south of the coastal town of Mazatlan in Sinaloa state. Marines and state police had gone to the aid of municipal police.

The police were on a routine patrol, led by local police chief Joel Ernesto Soto, when the gunmen attacked, according to Cristobal Castaneda of the state security department.

"They faced quite a number of aggressors, but thanks to their training and professionalism, they managed to get ahead. The wounded policemen are well," Castaneda told journalists.

State officials reported a 76 percent increase in homicides for the first five months of 2017 with more than 760 murders through early June - the highest figure in six years.

Gang-related violence throughout Mexico has escalated following the capture and extradition to the United States of former Sinaloa-based drug lord Joaquin "el Chapo" Guzman in January.

Read the rest at Deutsche Welle

Related: Turmoil in Mexico's Criminal Underworld Is Intensifying the Violence in a Valuable Border Territory (Business Insider)

Related: Suitcase with Human Remains Dumped in Mexico's Los Cabos (Associated Press)

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