Tijuana (Mexico) had 1,744 homicides in 2017
Control for street drug trade pushes Tijuana to grisly new record: 1,744 homicides
The bloodshed in Tijuana (across the border from San Diego, CA) has continued at an unrelenting pace in these first days of the new year as two powerful drug trafficking organizations battle for control of the city’s lucrative street drug sales:
The long-established Sinaloa cartel and a newer, aggressive group known as the cartel Nueva Generación Jalisco, often abbreviated as CJNG.
... almost double the record of 910 homicides set in 2016.
Though bullets have struck innocent bystanders, the killings have been largely targeted and carried out in the city’s impoverished and working class neighborhoods, authorities say.
Close to 90 percent of the victims are low-level operatives in the local drug trade ...
In many cases, the victims’ bodies are unclaimed, either because they are from other parts of Mexico, or because they are estranged from family members.
According to the DEA, there are five drug trafficking groups based in various parts of Mexico that are operating in the Tijuana region.
Despite the spiking homicide numbers, the city’s main business districts have remained vibrant, with shops and restaurants full, and its numerous factories booming with activity.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/border-baja-california/sd-me-homicides-tijuana-20180102-story.html