Mexican authorities find 11 hidden graves with 15 bodies near border with Guatemala

TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) – Eleven graves containing the bodies of 15 men have been found in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, where a conflict between the Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación drug cartels continues, local authorities said Sunday.

The Governor of Chiapas, Eduardo Ramírez Aguilar, said on his social media that the discovery came as a result of the attack on the town of La Concordia, near the border of Mexico and Guatemala. He said four people connected to this case were arrested with weapons and drugs.

The state prosecutor’s office said in a statement that the incident took place in two different locations. The first site had three bodies in three graves and in the second, eight graves with 12 bodies.

“It is important to mention that in these operations technical tools such as drones and geo-radars have been used, in addition to aerial flight, ground search, field forensics, back digging and drilling,” it said.

The General Prosecutor of Chiapas, Jorge Luis Llaven Abarca, said last week that another secret grave with cremated bodies was found in Emiliano Zapata, which neighbors La Concordia, but did not provide more information due to the poor condition of the bodies for identification.

Conflict over drug routes, migrant smuggling and weapons has left more than 10,000 people homeless in recent years, including Mexicans fleeing to Guatemala, according to aid reports.