At least 19 people, including four Guatemalans, were killed in a turf battle between two drug gangs in Chiapas, southern Mexico, authorities said on Monday. The bodies of 16 men were found inside a cargo truck, with three more found outside the vehicle in La Concordia, near the Guatemala border, where violence has been increasing in recent years.
The clash, which occurred on Friday, was between the Sinaloa cartel and another gang identified as the “Chiapas and Guatemala” cartel, battling for control of the border area. This region is crucial for trafficking drugs, arms, and migrants toward the United States, according to the NGO Insight Crime.
In response to the violence, the Mexican government deployed an additional 1,200 personnel to reinforce the southern border with Guatemala. The Jalisco Nueva Generacion cartel, also in a turf war with the Sinaloa cartel, operates in this part of Mexico.
Violence in Chiapas state has escalated recently. During the presidential campaign, Claudia Sheinbaum, elected in June and set to take office in October, was briefly detained by hooded men but was unharmed. Voting was suspended in two municipalities in Chiapas due to violence preventing polling booths from being set up.
Since 2006, more than 450,000 people have been murdered in Mexico following the military offensive against drug cartels launched by then-president Felipe Calderon.
