MEXICO CITY—There were more than 25,000 murders across drug-ravaged Mexico in 2017, the highest annual tally since modern records began, government data showed.
Investigators opened 25,339 murder probes last year, up nearly 25 percent from the 2016 tally, interior ministry data released on Saturday showed. It was the highest annual total since the government began counting murders in 1997.
Mexico has struggled with years of violence as the government has battled vicious drug cartels that have increasingly splintered into smaller, more bloodthirsty, gangs.
2017 was Mexico's deadliest year ever, with more than 23,000 homicides. @DGisSERIOUS reports from Cancún, where the murder rate has doubled in the past year. pic.twitter.com/vOPZsOlcYu
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) January 12, 2018
Subtracting 22 killed in war zones, one in 5 of the 30 journalists murdered in reprisal for their work worldwide this year by this #CPJ count was Mexican – & real death toll in #Mexico likely much higher, as six more cases of reported 2017 homicides remain under investigation https://t.co/dAGLmidMXj
— Bill Orme (@billorme) December 27, 2017
Violence is a central issue in July’s presidential election. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto faces an uphill battle to keep his ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party in office.
There were 40 percent more murder investigations opened last year compared with 2013, Pena Nieto’s first full year in office.
Mexico on Thursday dismissed a claim by U.S. President Donald Trump that it was the most dangerous country in the world.
We need the Wall for the safety and security of our country. We need the Wall to help stop the massive inflow of drugs from Mexico, now rated the number one most dangerous country in the world. If there is no Wall, there is no Deal!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 18, 2018
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