Mexican A-G: Gang killings up 117 percent to 5,376
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFPublished: DECEMBER 9, 2008 01:49Advertisement
Mexico's attorney general said organized-crime slayings more than doubled in the first 11 months of 2008, to hit 5,376.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said the 117 percent spike in gangland killings compared to the same period in 2007 was mainly related to increased infighting among drug cartels.
The number of killings for the first 11 months of 2007 was 2,477.
Some drug cartels have begun to fight former allies, and long-standing disputes for control of lucrative drug trafficking routes have added to the violence. Law enforcement officials also say that increased street-level drug dealing in Mexico is to blame.
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