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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 26 July 2017

Mexico murders up with deadliest month in at least 20 years

Associated Press The victims were appar-
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mex- ently lured by job offers for
ico’s spiraling violence private security guards or
reached new heights with municipal police and were
2,234 murders in June, the then forced to build their
country’s deadliest month own shelters from wood
in at least 20 years, accord- and branches and train in
ing to government data. tactics and shooting — us-
Killings rose in states rang- ing paintball guns — while
ing from the tourist haven under guard by gang
of Baja California Sur to the members, Almaguer said.
Gulf coast state of Vera- The investigation that led
cruz and even in Mexico to the camps started with
City, long considered a six similar reports of missing
relative oasis from drug people in June.
gang violence. For the first “They are recruiting good
six months of 2017, authori- people who look for em-
ties nationwide recorded ployment,” Almaguer said.
12,155 homicide investiga- On Thursday, a neighbor-
tions, or 31 percent more hood on the south side of
than the 9,300 during the Mexico City exploded in
same period last year. gunfire and eight people
Just Friday, the same day were killed as marines tried
the report was released, to capture the leader of a In this Jan. 17, 2017 photo, a forensic investigator walks inside the Blue Parrot club, one day after
a marine and four other drug gang that controlled a deadly early morning shooting in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
people were killed when street-level drug sales in (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
armed forces moved part of the city. The gang’s
against the leader of the semi-automatic rifles and unheard of in the capital. Murders remain high in customed to such blood-
principal fuel-theft ring in burning vehicle barriers Those events underscore states that have tradition- shed, like Baja California
the central state of Puebla. set up to block authorities the growing struggles be- ally struggled with violence Sur — home to the Los Ca-
Four of the dead were al- were reminiscent of peren- tween or against organized like Guerrero and Mexico bos tourist resorts — and
leged members of “Los nial hotspots like the border crime groups from one end state. But they have also the Pacific coast state of
Bukanas,” a violent gang city of Reynosa, but almost of the country to the other. shot up in states unac- Colima.q
that sells gasoline stolen
through illegal taps in the Venezuela:
government oil company’s
pipelines. It’s a business Authorities hold 2 judges
that has been estimated
to cost the government $1 appointed by opposition
billion annually and which
has grown increasingly
violent as authorities try to CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) BIN agents in Anzoategui, a
control it. — Venezuela’s intelligence state in northeastern Ven-
Also Friday, the top pros- agency has detained two ezuela. The magistrates are
ecutor in the western state more judges that the gov- among 33 judges the Na-
of Jalisco, Eduardo Alma- ernment-stacked Supreme tional Assembly appointed
guer, said authorities dis- Court had threatened with on Friday to replace the
covered two drug cartel arrest after they were ap- current Supreme Court.
training camps where they pointed by the opposition- The troubled nation’s high- In this July 21, 2017 photo, newly-appointed Supreme Court jus-
believe about 40 people controlled National Assem- est court quickly declared tice Zuleima Gonzalez holds a Venezuelan flag as she poses
had been trapped and bly. the appointments uncon- for photos after her swearing-in ceremony in Caracas, Ven-
trained after being tricked The National Assembly an- stitutional and said the ezuela. Gonzalez, one of 33 of magistrates appointed by the
by online job advertise- nounced Tuesday that judges would be illegally opposition-led National Assembly last week, was detained by
ments. An unknown num- Jesus Rojas Torres and Zu- usurping power and be- political police (SEBIN), along with another judge, on suspicion
of treason, in eastern Venezuela, according to the legislature
ber of human remains were leima Gonzalez had been traying the nation if they on July 25, 2017.
also found. taken into custody by SE- fulfilled their new posts.q (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)