Police have found ten dead in the former Mexican luxury holiday resort of Acapulco, which was characterized by gang crime. Authorities said on Tuesday that the bodies of four men and two women were dumped on a street the night before.
According to media reports, they were thrown out of a car when they were already dead. Four other people were shot in other parts of the city, according to authorities, including a man in the city’s tourist district. In addition, three people were injured.
Acapulco is located in the state of Guerrero, which is particularly affected by gang violence. Criminal gangs in Mexico have been engaged in brutal battles for years for dominance over drug smuggling into the USA. However, the gangs are not only active in the drug trade – they are also involved in human trafficking, extortion and the theft of fuel.
According to official figures, 1,890 people were killed in clashes between the powerful cartels last year. Since the start of a controversial military operation against the drug cartels in 2006, more than 450,000 people have been killed in the country and another 100,000 people are missing.
Rampant crime is also an issue in the June 2 presidential and parliamentary elections. While incumbent President Andres Manuel López Obrador’s candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum, is committed to combating the causes of crime, opposition candidate Xochitl Galvez is promoting tougher action against criminals.