21 Dead in Mexico Gang Shootout Near U.S. Border

Updated at 5:30 p.m. Eastern.

A massive gun battle between rival drug and migrant trafficking gangs near the U.S. border Thursday left 21 people dead and at least six others wounded, prosecutors said.

The fire fight occurred in a sparsely populated area about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the Arizona border, near the city of Nogales, that is considered a prime corridor for immigrant and drug smuggling.

The Sonora state Attorney General's Office said in a statement that nine people were captured by police at the scene of the shootings, six of whom had been wounded in the confrontation. Eight vehicles and seven weapons were also seized.

All of the victims were believed to be members of the gangs.

The shootings occurred near a dirt road between the hamlets of Tubutama and Saric, in an area often used by traffickers.

Gangs often fight for control of trafficking routes and sometimes steal "shipments" of undocumented migrants from each other, but seldom have they staged such mass gun battles.

Gang violence near the Arizona border has led to calls from officials in the U.S. state for greater control of the border and is one reason given for a controversial law passed in April requiring Arizona police to ask people about their immigration status in certain situations.

In a city on another part of the U.S. border, gunmen killed an assistant attorney general for Chihuahua state and one of her bodyguards.

After being chased by armed assailants through the darkened streets of Ciudad Juarez, the vehicle carrying Sandra Salas Garcia and two bodyguards was riddled with bullets Wednesday night.

Arturo Sandoval, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, said the second bodyguard was seriously wounded.

Salas was responsible for evaluating the work of prosecutors and special investigations units in Chihuahua.

Drug violence has killed more than 4,300 people in recent years in Ciudad Juarez, which borders El Paso, Texas.

More than 23,000 people have been killed by drug violence since late 2006, when President Felipe Calderon began deploying thousands of troops and federal police to drug hot spots.

[olbabee]

No loss. It's just 21 that won't come here & move to my neighborhood. The truth hurts sometime.

[alien_view]

The time has come to i start an impeachment process againist the President and Congress for failure to protect our country. " do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." He had his fingers crossed or just plain lied. He is trying to destroy the US (In his book he hates the US, his wife hates the US, and so does his Preacher. He must have a lot of stuff on the members of Congress for them to go against the people of the US.

[consciousnes]

And they say the war is in Iraq, when it is actually so close you could spit on it.
When they talk about the "DRUG WARS" they really mean "WAR"
And people wonder why Arizona passed the law it did.
When will people wake up to the fact that we have been and are being invaded EVERY DAY and by a foreign army. We don't need boarder patrol, we need the US Army on our boarders to protect us.

[jnostromo]

Use the army to wipe the thugs out..declare them terrorists and their elimination is a matter of national security...first eliminate the vermin who have set up shop inside our borders and are targeting us police, then set up a shooting gallery along the border..the gangs try to enter or traffick, they are mean with extreme response a01's, apaches etc....lastly, execute the filthy gang vermin sitting in our jails..

[texas_liberal]

the Government needs to investigate Wachovia bank, Bank of america
for knowingly laundering money for the cartels.

[endurorob_5]

by texas_liberal July 2, 2010 11:49 AM EDT
And all because Calderon went to war at the behest of Ole SHRUBBY.
if you count the dead in Iraq, Afghanistan to your equation the
true dead by americans is much higher.



So you are saying Caldrone should have just let the drug lords have their way and run the country.

[texas_liberal]

thats exacly what im proposing.
the drugs are just coming to the biggest crackhead market on earth.

[nojoy01]

More than 23,000 people have been killed by drug violence since late 2006, when President Felipe Calderon began deploying thousands of troops and federal police to drug hot spots.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
That's about one for every 4,650 citizens of Mexico. The equivalent number by population of killed in the US would be about 71,000. The last year for stats for homicide in the US I found said there were just over 16,000 homicides in the US (2008). That means that mexico's homicide rate is over 4 times the US rate. There haven't been that many US troops killed in Iraq & Afghanistan in 9 years! Yeah, let's take a vacation in Mexico & enjoy the scenery.

[texas_liberal]

And all because Calderon went to war at the behest of Ole SHRUBBY.
if you count the dead in Iraq, Afghanistan to your equation the
true dead by americans is much higher.

[texas_liberal]

According to sources, the U.S.A. ranks #96 with 8.2 deaths per 1000 population, even with the war against the cartels factored in
Mexico ranks at 146 with 4.8 deaths per 1000 population.
so much for your statistics nojoy
the United States is a much more violent place

[texas_liberal]

Can any of you Bozos even name the cartels and whats happened between them since 2006?

[myopinionpal]

Well its time to put federal troops on the border and some of those unmanned drone aircraft loaded with hell fire missiles. That should do the trick.

[texas_liberal]

I agree, so long as they also fire on americans smuggling guns southward.

[gearhead1000]

THE BORDERS ARE SAFE, NOTHING TO SEE HERE, MOVE ALONG...

[pw08-2009]

This is the future of America, if Obamma and the Democrats get their way. Say goodbye to the lives we used to have and say hello to continuous lawbreaking and terror on our streets.

If Obamnesty thinks that amnesty is going to fly, he's wrong. Our leadership has not seen the anger that is seething inside of everyone and we've had enough of our leaders ignoring their people and siding with everyone else, to the detriment on America.

[DaVicar8]

Uh,
this happened in Mexico, dude.

[pw08-2009]

DaVicar8,

It amazes me that people like you cannot equate what is happening in Mexico to that which will happen here in the states and already is (Arizona for example). This incident happened 10 miles from our borders...can you see the potential issue? Apparently not, so you, like the other followers who can't put together a realistic picture of how one event could possibly spill over here into other events, will just keep your head in the dirt like always.

[jimmyc1955]

IF you read the article you will notice that gangs fight over groups of illegals being shuttled across the border - some probably carrying drugs.

But we need "immigration reform" that will basically open the borders even wider, and make it easier for gangs to move into the southwest. Already Arizona has a rising crime rate due to illegals and the drug wars on this side of the border.

But the Obama administration is only interested in the Latino vote, not in the safety of the people of Arizona or the nation - just more Democratic voters. It is horrible to believe that anybody would put politics before public safety but it's the only conclusion I can come too when the evidence is overwhelming highlighting the threat that illegal immigrants bring.

[scabbard2]

Sandbaging votes is 'spot on', and I agree with your assesment of politics over public safety. It is curious that the president has no stated plan for the eradication of street gangs and the drug cartels IN OUR COUNTRY that are being fed by the constant stream of illegals from Mexico. Check out any major city in the U.S. online, read the local news that doesn't get into the national view...search AJC, read the paper for two weeks, it is appalling.