Mass graves in Tlajomulco yield 17 bodies

Jalisco authorities have unearthed 17 bodies from mass graves in the municipality of Tlajomulco in the last 48 hours.

The clandestine graves, located in Tlajomulco’s La Calera neighborhood, were discovered on Wednesday evening following the arrest of Geronimo Ibarra Alcaraz, 23, alleged member of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), according to the Jalisco Prosecutor General’s Office (FGE).

Following his arrest, Ibarra led police to a safe house in Tlajomulco’s Campo Sur neighbourhood where they discovered over a ton of marijuana, 39 kilos of methamphetamines, firearms and bulletproof vests.

The Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences is conducting the ongoing excavation, which could yet yield more bodies. The corpses have been decomposing for over three months, meaning the age, sex and cause of death of each victim has yet to be determined. However, the forensic teams have reportedly recovered personal items such as shoes and cell phones that may help to identify some of the victims.

Several other mass graves have been discovered in the western state of Jalisco in recent months. At least 67 corpses have been exhumed in the town of La Barca since last November, while at least 17 bodies were found buried on a hill in Zapopan in December. The CJNG was also implicated in both cases.