Gruesome Violence in Chiapas: 19 Dead in Cartel Clash Between Sinaloa, Chiapas, and Guatemala
In the state of Chiapas, a violent clash between hitmen representing the Sinaloa, Chiapas, and Guatemala cartels resulted in the death of 19 individuals. The Mexican government’s Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) confirmed the discovery of 19 bodies inside a truck in La Concordia over the weekend, attributing the incident to a confrontation among the mentioned criminal factions.
On Saturday, June 29, authorities found several corpses on a road connecting Jaltenango de la Paz with La Reforma after receiving a report. The victims were all men who had been killed by gunfire in the back of a cargo truck, with two more in the cabin and two to the side. One body was found approximately 100 meters from the vehicle, displaying signs of large-caliber bullet impacts.
The State Attorney General’s Office of Chiapas collaborated with other law enforcement agencies to investigate further and reported that they discovered five individuals inside a dump truck on June 30, each having suffered gunshot wounds. An additional 14 corpses were found inside the same truck, all clothed in dark attire and tactical gear and each possessing firearm magazines. The identities of six victims were disclosed while twelve remain unidentified as investigations into the violent incident continue.
The homicide rate in Mexico has been rising despite a decrease in homicides by 4.18% compared to last year’s figures. However, political tensions have contributed to an increase in violent acts amidst May’s record-breaking 2657 cases leading up to highly contested June 2 elections. Despite declining homicide rates following consecutive years of violence during 2019 and 2020 where over 34 thousand individuals fell victim to fatal attacks each year as per SSPC reports.
