At least 15 bodies were found in clandestine graves in the Mexican state of Chiapas (southeast), which has been hit by a rise in violence linked to organized crime, according to local authorities.

Governor Eduardo Ramírez shared details on his X account about an operation to restore security in La Frailesca, an area near the border with Guatemala, known for its significant agricultural and livestock activities but which has suffered a series of blockades by criminal cells for the past three years.

“Communication routes have been cleared,” and “fifteen bodies have been located so far in clandestine graves in two properties,” the state governor stated.

He added that four people were arrested during the operation, and weapons and vehicles were seized, though it was not specified whether those captured were connected to the clandestine burials.

According to reports, criminal cells in La Frailesca are fighting for control of drug trafficking routes and other crimes such as kidnapping and extortion.

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Alongside nearly two decades of violence linked to drug trafficking, Mexico has seen an increase in the discovery of irregular graves, some containing over a hundred bodies at various points across the country.

Recently, 12 bodies were found in a grave in the state of Jalisco (west).

Since December 2006, when a controversial military-led anti-drug operation was launched, Mexico has accumulated over 450,000 violent deaths and tens of thousands of disappearances, according to official figures.

An explosive attack at the construction site of a high-security prison on the coast of Ecuador left one dead, the presidency reported, describing the incident as a “terrorist act.”

“On the morning of December 25, 2024, a group of armed men carried out a terrorist act by violently entering the construction site of the new Santa Elena detention center, where they detonated explosive devices,” the presidency said in a statement.

It added that the attack “resulted in one person dead,” without specifying their identity. President Daniel Noboa’s government began construction of the high-security prison in June, designed to house about 800 people in the rural town of Juntas del Pacífico, in the coastal province of Santa Elena (southwest). The prison will cost 52 million dollars.

The Secretary of Security for the Mexican state of Sinaloa (in the northwest), which has been shaken for over three months by a wave of criminal violence that has claimed more than 600 lives, resigned from his position, Governor Rubén Rocha Moya confirmed on Saturday.

The local leader confirmed to AFP the resignation of Secretary Gerardo Mérida, and shortly after, he swore in the new head of the department, General Óscar Rentería. The newly appointed secretary has previously served as the commander of a military zone in the also troubled state of Michoacán (in the west) and led another military region in Mexico City when the current president, Claudia Sheinbaum, was mayor (2018-2023).

The wave of killings that is hitting the state is due to an internal war between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, the “Chapitos” and the “Mayos,” named after their leaders, the sons of drug lords Joaquín “Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael “Mayo” Zambada.

Both criminal bosses are imprisoned in the United States on drug trafficking charges, but their sons are fighting for control of the legendary cartel in Sinaloa. The cartel is identified by Washington as the largest producer of illegal fentanyl in Mexico.

Mérida’s departure comes amid ongoing clashes, which have left over 600 people dead and another 700 missing in just over 100 days, according to state prosecutor data.

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The resignation also follows the murder last Wednesday in the capital of Sinaloa of Halexy Guadalupe, one of the members of the investigative team leading the government’s anti-crime strategy under Sheinbaum.

The president is scheduled to visit the state on Sunday to lead a Security Table meeting to address the ongoing violence crisis.