19 killed during armed conflict between two drug gangs in Mexico

At least 19 people, including four Guatemalans, were killed in an armed conflict between members of two drug trafficking gangs in southern Mexico.

According to the RT report, the Ministry of Security of Mexico announced in a statement that in the province of Tabasco, inside a cargo truck, 14 men were killed with firearms, two more in the cabin, two on the side and another man around They were killed 100 meters away.

Tabasco connects the border of Guatemala and neighboring countries to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Due to its geography, this area has been the main route for drug and immigrant smuggling for decades. Some locals call it the southeast gate.

Organized crime-related violence in Mexico has killed more than 150,000 people and left 100,000 missing since 2006, when Mexican President Felipe Calderon began cracking down on drug trafficking. .

Nevertheless, Genaro Garcia Luna, one of Calderon’s ministers, was convicted in a US court in 2023 of accepting millions of dollars in bribes from the notorious “Sinaloa” cartel. Federal prosecutors in New York City have said that during his time in office, he accepted bribes in exchange for immunity from arrest, the safe passage of cocaine shipments and information to smugglers about police operations.

Translator: Mina Azimi