The bodies of at least 400 missing persons have been found in Mexico's Guanajuato state, plagued by turf wars between rival Mexican drug cartels.

The Guanajuato state search commission recently reported that since its creation in July 2019, it has recovered at least 400 lifeless bodies in different municipalities such as Salvatierra, Acambaro, and Irapuato. 

Hector Alonso Diaz Esquerra, head of the commission, said many of the remains were found in clandestine graves. According to Diaz Esquerra, while hundreds were found dead, more were located alive, Periodico Correo reported.

Diaz Ezquerra noted that 600 missing persons had been found alive. He said some of them were located in other states, such as Jalisco, Aguascalientes, Nuevo Leon, Sonora, Coahuila, and San Luis Potosi, in collaboration with other institutions of each region.

When a missing person is found alive, Diaz Ezquerra noted that they would be held until members of the commission arrive to carry out family reintegration.

According to the commissioner, the percentage of disappearances in minors is higher than in adults. Diaz Ezquerra said the searches for missing persons in the state are being carried out every day, sometimes with drones and metal detectors, and the Guanajuato prosecutor's office will handle the identification process.

On the 400 bodies they have recovered, Diaz Ezquerra said at least 90 percent have already been identified. At present, the commissioner noted that their search team is working with families of missing persons in the municipality of Villagran, but there have been no positive results yet. 

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Mexican Drug Cartels in Mexico's Guanajuato State

The number of violent crimes in Guanajuato state continues to rise as Mexican drug cartels fight over territory. Pending data for December 2021, Guanajuato is reportedly destined to be named the state with the most homicides for the fourth consecutive year.

From January to November last year, the state recorded 3,239 homicides. Baja California followed with 2,800 homicides. Guanajuato's population is only five percent of Mexico's population. However, it reportedly accounted for about 13 percent of the country's murders in 2020.

The Jalisco cartel has reportedly been fighting to take over territory in Guanajuato from local drug gangs. According to Border Report, the state is the scene of a bloody turf war between the Jalisco cartel and the home-grown Santa Rosa de Lima gang.

The bloodbath in the state reportedly started in 2018 when the Jalisco New Generation Cartel or Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) moved into Guanajuato. The Jalisco cartel is infamous for its public displays of violence and military power.

According to the U.S. State Department, the Jalisco cartel is considered "to be the most violent drug trafficking organization currently operating in Mexico, with the highest cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine trafficking capacity."

Nemesio "El Mencho" Oseguera is currently leading the Jalisco cartel. The U.S. government has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his arrest as he continues to evade capture.

Missing Persons in Mexico

Authorities are struggling to resolve the crisis of missing persons in Mexico, with about 100,000 people officially registered as missing, according to La Prensa Latina.

From 1964 to date, 98,423 people have disappeared in Mexico based on the National Registry of Disappeared or Non-Located Persons, which updates the figures daily.

Data from the National Search Commission of the Mexican interior ministry showed that Jalisco has the highest number of missing persons, with 14,915 cases. Tamaulipas followed with 11,916, Mexico City with 10,720, and Nuevo Leon with 6,148.

The crisis of missing persons in Mexico started in 2006 when former Mexican President Felipe Calderon launched his war on drugs.

Mexico has seen tragic cases of missing people like the 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College. The students were forcibly abducted and disappeared in 2014, and only three have their remains found and identified so far.

READ MORE: Mexico: 90,000 People Have Disappeared Without a Trace Amid Drug War

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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