CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AP) – Mexican officials say they have found 19 bodies shot and burned near a city across Rio Grande Texas, in an area that has suffered violent territorial disputes between organized crime groups in recent years.
Tamaulipas state prosecutor’s office said Saturday night that the bodies were found along a dirt road near Camargo after residents reported a burning vehicle. The authorities found two burning vehicles, one containing four bodies and the other 15. Some rifles were also found.
All were shot, but the bombs were not found at the scene, leading investigators to believe they were killed elsewhere.
A Camargo official, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, said the killings occurred on Friday, but people were afraid to report them.
Meanwhile, in Guatemala, rumors spread on Sunday that Guatemalan migrants were among the dead.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the Guatemalan embassy in Mexico and the consulate in Monterrey were communicating with state and federal authorities “to determine whether any victims are Guatemalan nationals.” He said they had activated consular aid protocols.
Camargo is an important crossing point for smuggling drugs and migrants. Organized crime groups aspire to control sections of the border because they make money from everything that crosses the border.
Camargo is close to the edge of a territory historically controlled by the Gulf cartel and in recent years a remnant of the Zetas known in the Northeast cartel tried to take over.
In January 2020, 21 bodies, mostly burned, were found in several vehicles near the nearby city of Ciudad Mier. Days later, the Mexican army killed 11 suspected gunmen in the area.
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PA editor Sonia Pérez D., from Guatemala City, contributed to this report.