San Fernando is quick becoming the murder center of Mexico. In recent days the bodies of 145 people have been uncovered, most in mass graves, about an hour-and-a-half drive south of Brownsville, Texas. Mexican federal investigators expect more bodies to be discovered there soon.
In connection, 16 local police officers were arrested for collusion with the perpetrators, who are thought to be members of the Zetas drug gang. Last August, 72 migrants were shot in San Fernando, the lone survivor recalling that the gunmen forcibly tried to recruit them into the Zetas. More recent cases of murder in and around San Fernando come as a result of roadblocks set up by the drug gangs. Locals now call the main highway running by the town “the highway of death.”
Under mounting pressure, President Calderon has proclaimed, “Enough is enough!” His political opponents are turning the phrase on him, questioning the president’s strategy for combating the drug violence.
Graphic from AFP
