Mexico cracks down on criminal groups, announces troops deployment

Mexico has announced that it will be deploying a new wave of troops to deal with criminal groups in regions where violence led to over 25,000 deaths last year.

On Sunday, National Security Commissioner Renato Sales announced that federal police troops will be working with local officials to bring in major criminals and help with the investigations.

The aim was “to recover peace and calm for all Mexicans,” he added.

The number of murders recorded in 2017 in Mexico was the highest ever seen, with a total of 25,339 people.

PressTV-Mexico’s homicide rate hits record high

Mexico’s number of murders in 2017 was the country’s highest ever recorded.

Sales noted that federal police troops would be sent to the states of Colima and Baja California Sur, the resort town of Cancun and the border city of Ciudad Juarez, among others.

According to officials and local media, 25 people were murdered in different locations across the country over the weekend.

Read More:

• 32 bodies found in mass graves in rural Mexico
• 11 killed in Mexico’s border shootouts

Experts say most of murders in Mexico are related to drug trafficking and that a government crackdown -- which began last decade -- is to blame for the increasing homicide rates. More than 200,000 people have been killed since former president Felipe Calderon launched his signature anti-drug operation in December 2006.

Rights campaigners have criticized the Mexican government for its new policies to involve the military in the anti-drug operations.

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