Mexican authorities announced on Thursday the discovery of 12 bodies buried in secret graves in the northern state of Chihuahua, a region plagued by violence linked to organized crime.
According to a statement from the Chihuahua State Prosecutor’s Office, 11 graves containing the remains of 12 individuals were found last week in the Asuncion area near the U.S. border.
The statement noted that the remains are “of unidentified individuals” and have been transferred to forensic laboratories in Ciudad Juárez for examination and identification.
Chihuahua has been a hotspot for organized crime violence, serving as a key route for drug and migrant smuggling into the United States.
Official records indicate that 3,972 people have been reported missing in the state since 1952. In comparison, the states of Jalisco and Tamaulipas, which experience higher levels of violence, have recorded over 13,000 disappearances during the same period.
Nationwide, more than 450,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands have gone missing since December 2006, when the government launched a controversial campaign against drug trafficking.
