The Los Negritos lake in Mexico, a popular tourist destination near the Michoacan-Jalisco border, has reportedly become a narco cemetery.

According to reports, the natural mud pits and acidic hot springs in the lakeside community have now turned into a makeshift graveyard for victims of the Jalisco cartel or Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

On Monday, the Mexican newspaper El Universal reported that over the past three weeks, officials from Michoacán and Mexico's Attorney General's Office had exhumed 25 bodies from the Los Negritos lake in the Villamar municipality in the state of Michoacan.

However, activists believe that more bodies may be buried in the mud pits, which El Universal now calls a narco cemetery. Activists said there could be as many as 500 people buried there.

Eight Bodies Found in Mexico's Los Negritos 'Narco Cemetery' Already Identified

Mexican authorities claimed that they have already identified eight of the bodies found in Mexico's Los Negritos, mainly using clothing and dental records.

However, 17 of the victims found through Sunday remained unidentified as their bodies have already deteriorated so much that DNA testing might be the only viable option to identify them.

A group of relatives who believe that their missing loved ones could have been buried in the mud pits is pressuring authorities to begin the excavations.

Called "San Pedro Cahro en Busqueda de Ángeles" or "San Pedro Cahro in search of angels," Isis del Rocío Macías Gracián formed the group, Mexico Daily News reported.

Hailing from San Pedro Cahro, Michoacan, she claimed that her brother was kidnapped and was later found dead in the area. 

According to Macías Gracián, there was information that more human remains were buried in the Los Negritos narco cemetery, and some may have been there for seven or eight years. 

She said some of the bodies might not be rescued yet as the site is in a geothermal zone with dangerous volcanic vents, which may pose a threat to rescuers. She added that many of the bodies might be inside the boiling wells or the lake itself.

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Towns Near Los Negritos Lake in Mexico Known for Jalisco Cartel Activities

The Associated Press reported that more than five dozen bodies were found in the town of La Barca in 2013, and these mass graves were linked to the Jalisco cartel.

The Los Negritos area is near the town of La Barca and several municipalities such as Zamora, Jiquilpan, and Sahuayo, and a part of it is in dispute between rival factions of the Jalisco Cartel. Zamora was recently named the "world's most violent city of 2021" in a study by a Mexican NGO. 

Mexican drug cartels frequently use clandestine burial pits to dispose of the bodies of their rivals or kidnapping victims. The number of missing persons in Mexico has already exceeded more than 100,000.

READ MORE: Jalisco Cartel Leader 'El Senoron' Who Receives Orders From Boss 'El Mencho' Arrested in Mexico

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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