Killings linked to organized crime have nearly tripled in Jalisco, from 67 in the first quarter of 2010 to 181 in the same period this year, according to federal government figures. Milenio magazine says that disputes over the control of the zones and vendettas between organized criminal groups are the main reasons for this rise. The number of these executions has been rising in 2011, from 50 in January to 75 in March. The city of Guadalajara is the area worst-hit both by organized-crime murders and by other killings.
- Mexico's attorney general said the country would pay rewards to those who provide information that helps locate resources or assets being used to launder illegal profits, or to identify the perpetrators. According to local newspaper El Informador, the amount of the reward may be up to 25% of the value of the goods or property seized. Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) congressman Arturo Zamora Jimenez commented that Mexico is part of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), whose purpose is to combat money "laundering" that finances terrorism both domestically and internationally, and that the measures announced by the attorney general will meet international standards as far as possible.
- The president of the Superior Court of the District of La Paz, Bolivia, Williams Alave, said his office has opened an investigation into possible links between judges, lawyers and drug trafficking, reported local newspaper La Razon. Although he did not give the names of those involved, because the cases are still under investigation, he gave as an example a case where an individual was released despite evidence that he had been transporting 93 kilos of drugs. The official said that between 30 and 40 judges are facing corruption allegations, and called for a complete overhaul of the judicial system.
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