10 killed in Acapulco over the weekend

At least 10 people were murdered over the weekend in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco, Mexican prosecutors said. The bodies of nine men and a woman were found in different sections of the port city between Saturday night and noon on Sunday, spokesmen for the Guerrero state Attorney General’s Office told Efe. The woman’s body was discovered around 2:00 a.m. Sunday on a highway near Acapulco, the AG’s office said, adding that the unidentified victim appeared to be in her early 20s. Two dismembered bodies were found Sunday morning by the Acapulco municipal police department. The mutilated bodies were discovered in Acapulco’s La Maquina district, with the heads and extremities left alongside the trunks. Two men were gunned down at a basketball court in La Maquina on Saturday morning. The other five bodies were found in different sections of the resort city, and all of the victims died from gunshot wounds, the AG’s office said. The La Barredora drug gang and the Cartel Independiente de Acapulco have been fighting for control of the resort city for more than one year. The two gangs were originally part of the criminal organization run by Edgar Valdez Villarreal, the AG’s office said. Valdez Villarreal, known as “La Barbie,” was arrested by the Federal Police on Aug. 30, 2010. Guerrero Gov. Angel Aguirre Rivero launched an operation involving state police and Federal Police officers to provide security in areas frequented by foreign and domestic tourists. “Operation Safe Guerrero” was launched on Oct. 6, 2011, in an effort to reduce the soaring crime rate in the state. People living in other areas of Acapulco have been demanding a larger police presence due to the surge in drug-related violence. Acapulco, a favorite among Mexican and foreign tourists for decades, has lost business to other destinations due to the violence. The war between La Barredora and the Cartel Independiente de Acapulco is behind the rising body count in the Pacific port city, officials said. EFE