The number of killings related to organized crime in Mexico was 16 percent higher in the first half of 2011 than in the same period the previous year, according to a local newspaper.
On Saturday, Mexican daily La Reforma published a report which said that there had been 6,641 organized crime fatalities in the first six months of the year.
Although the numbers are high, the problem seems to be relatively contained, with 85 percent of the cases occurring in just 10 states.
The report recorded an increase in deaths related to organized crime for 21 of Mexico’s 32 states. Chihuahua and Nuevo Leon, which border on the U.S., recorded the largest number of killings.
With violence on the rise in Mexico, President Felipe Calderon’s strategy to combat organized crime will be further called into question.
According to the report’s data, the death toll since 2006, the year in which President Calderon launched an offensive against drug cartels, now stands at close to 40,000.
As InSight Crime has reported, Calderon’s aggressive pursuit of drug cartels is commonly thought to have increased violence in many parts of the country.