Data presented today Tuesday suggests almost half of homicides in Mexico happen in just a handful of states.
Six Mexican states had more than 49% of the country’s homicides in the month of March, according to preliminary data from state justice departments.
The central Mexican state of Guanajuato reported the highest number of homicides, at close to 300 so far this month. That was more than double the next highest state.
States along the border were on the list, including Chihuahua and Baja California. The state of Sonora, which borders Arizona, had the sixth highest number of homicides in March so far.
All of these states experience various rates of cartel violence. Sinaloa, to the south of Sonora, was fifth on the list and has seen elevated violence in the past six months as two cartel factions battle for power.
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In Sonora, mothers comb through the desert to try to find the remains of their missing children, even as Mexican officials say the number of homicides across the country is in decline. -
Some communities remained difficult to access after flooding from Tropical Storm Polo. -
The Arizona Game and Fish Department warns that Arizona is at risk of the flesh-eating parasite after recent cases in New Mexico and northern Mexico. -
The new sanctions target more than 40 entities and individuals who the U.S. Treasury Department says are aligned with the Mayiza faction of the Sinaloa cartel. -
Tropical Storm Polo left coastal areas in Sonora flooded Tuesday, but left other parts of the state with little rainfall as it began to dissipate.
