http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jan ... -47515-de/
Mexico?s federal government on Wednesday reported 12,903 deaths related to disputes between criminal groups during the first nine months of 2011. The figures, released by the federal Attorney General?s Office, bring the official death toll of Mexico?s drug war to to 47,515 since President Felipe Calderon took office in Dec. 2006.
A statement said the 2011 total represents an 11 percent increase in deaths when compared with the same period for 2010. The latest reported rate of increase is smaller than in previous periods. A similar comparison between the first nine months of 2009 and 2010 shows a 70 percent increase. The highest surge was between 2007 and 2008, with 110 percent, the statement said.
The newly released figures showed that 70 percent of the deaths took place in eight states ?in the context of rivalry between criminal organizations,? the statement said.
During that time period, the government?s figures showed 250 deaths in Baja California; 183 of those took place in Tijuana, which has over 50 percent of the state?s population.
By comparison, Ciudad Juarez registered the highest number of deaths, with 1,206 during the first nine months of 2011, followed by 795 for Acapulco.
The federal figures have been subject to dispute from groups that track drug-related homicides, some contending that the government's counts fall short of the reality.
The Mexico City newspaper, Reforma, reported 12,366 drug-related killings across Mexico during 2011, with 142 in Baja California. The Baja California Attorney General?s Office reported 478 homicides in Tijuana in 2011; the agency calculates that roughly 80 percent of those deaths were the result of disputes between criminal groups.
