HomeNewsBriefMass Graves, Disappearances Signal Trouble for Guerrero, Mexico
BRIEF

Mass Graves, Disappearances Signal Trouble for Guerrero, Mexico

AYOTZINAPA / 28 OCT 2014 BY DAVID GAGNE EN

With more than 150 bodies reportedly found in clandestine graves and 240 people missing thus far this year in Guerrero, Mexico, it is clear the southwest Pacific state has turned into a hotbed for criminal activity, thanks to a potent mix of criminal gangs and official corruption.

These figures, reported by Guerrero's forensic office, include 43 student protesters who went missing in the town of Iguala this September, in an ongoing case that has steadily gained international attention. On October 23, nine new clandestine graves were found in the outskirts of Iguala; these included human remains as well as pens and backpacks, indicating it could be a burial site of some of the missing students, reported El Universal.

The case led to the resignation of Guerrero Governor Angel Aguirre Rivero last week. His replacement, interim governor Rogelio Ortega Martinez, recently announced he planned to create a commission to investigate and bring to justice those responsible for the student disappearances, reported El Universal.

Meanwhile, Mexican NGO the Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice has claimed that Martinez has ties to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) dating back to 2002. The NGO said that according to e-mails recovered from a FARC leader's laptop, Martinez once asked FARC representatives in Mexico to lend him money. They also claimed he was linked to a group involved in kidnapping.

InSight Crime Analysis

While the Mexican government has invested significant resources and attention into combating organized crime in neighboring Michoacan, Guerrero has quietly turned into a hub for criminal activity. Last year, Guerrero recorded Mexico's highest murder rate. Meanwhile, the disintegration of Guerrero criminal group Los Rojos -- whose progenitor is the larger Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO) -- reportedly led to a wave of violence earlier this year, as rival gangs battled for territorial control.

SEE ALSO: Mexico News and Profiles

Official corruption has also played a key role in the escalating chaos in Guerrero. Another splinter cell of the BLO, the Guerreros Unidos, is thought to be behind the recent student disappearances, and allegedly worked on behalf of Iguala's mayor and his wife, who are currently both on the run. Meanwhile, 36 municipal police officers had been arrested in connection to the case as of October 18.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COLOMBIA / 18 MAY 2021

The killing of a notorious Colombian dissident guerrilla leader on Venezuelan soil has the potential to destabilize underworld dynamics in…

BOLIVIA / 1 APR 2022

Millions of young people around the world document their experiences at work, at school or with their friends on TikTok.

COCAINE / 7 MAR 2023

The US State Department's annual narcotics report sees coca cultivation spreading, while Colombia remains the top cocaine supplier to the…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…