15 bodies found in southeastern Mexico region plagued by drug cartel violence

The bodies of 15 people have been recovered from pits in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas which has been hit drug cartel violence.

In a post on X, Chiapas State Gov. Eduardo Ramirez details operations to restore stability to Frailesca, an agricultural region near Guatemala where rival cartels have been engaged in a turf war.

“Unfortunately, 15 bodies (have been found) so far in secret graves in two buildings,” Ramirez wrote Saturday on social media.

He said that weapons, vehicles and drugs were also seized and that four people were arrested, although he did not say whether they claimed to be involved in the death of the 15 people.

Mexico cartel-related violence based in or along drug trafficking routes, borders and ports of entry.

The InSight Crime think tank has described the state of Chiapas as “a major smuggling hub for both drugs and migrants.”

For the last two years, the Sinaloa and the Jalisco New Generation cartel have been involved in bloody turf battles in Chiapas that involved killing entire families and forcing small towns to take sides in the conflict. Hundreds of residents of Chiapas were forced to flee to nearby Guatemala for safety.

Since Mexico launched its controversial anti-drug operation in 2006, it has recorded more than 450,000 murders and tens of thousands of people have gone missing, according to official figures.

In October, famous Catholic priest Marcelo Pérezwho was an activist for the indigenous peoples and farm dwellers, was shot and killed in Chiapas.

Pérez, 50, had often received threats but nevertheless continued to work as a peace activist. Human rights advocates said Pérez did not receive the government protection he needed.

President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office on October 1, has promised to follow the policy of her predecessor and mentor, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, not to the face of the drug cartels. The policy has failed to significantly reduce violence.

On Thursday, the Mexican authorities found 12 bodies buried in hidden graves in the northern state of Chihuahua.

Authorities found 11 graves containing 12 skeletons in the town of Ascension near the US border, the state attorney's office said in a statement.