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33 dead found in Calera municipality in Zacatecas

For a map, click here. For a map of Zacatecas state, click here. For more information about the Las Negrita narcofosa, click here

By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com

As Mexican security forces field units conduct searches for graves in Calera municipality in Zacatecas state, the Procuraduria General de Estado (PGE), or state attorney general Arturo Nahle Garcia, announced Wednesday that the genetic profiles of 33 different individuals have been made from remains discovered more a year ago, according to Mexican news accounts.

A news item posted on the website of El Sol de Zacatecas news daily said that the the remains from 43,000 bone fragments have been identified with the help of students from the Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas after they were discovered in late July, 2011.
*blink* That's a lot of technique work. Kudos to the students.
Mexican Army units at the time discovered 14 mass graves near the village of Las Negritas.

The identities of four of the 33 individuals have already been determined, including a woman and two children as well as a man identified as Ernesto Cordero Anguiano.

Cordero Anguiano was reported missing in December, 2010 as part of a group of eight hunters from Guanajuato who disappeared in Sierra de Morones.

On Tuesday morning, a unit of the Proteccion Civil staff from Fresnillo municipality located 11 metal drums and several items of clothing near Rancho Los Angeles in Calera municipality near Los Negritos. The drums were rusted and had been perforated by gunshots.

A Mexican Naval Infantry unit was later called to the location to assist in the search for graves.

Nahle Garcia later released information that the drums did not appear to have any genetic material or remains, but were slated to be tested nonetheless.

The original find in late July was made just after a large counter-narcotics operation involving Mexican Army, Mexican Navy and Policia Federal troops ended in Jalisco and Zacatecas states in June, 2011.

Meanwhile, two unidentified armed suspects were killed in an armed encounter with a Mexican Army unit in Panfilo Natera municipality late Monday morning.

According to a separate article posted on the website of El Sol de Zacatecas, the army road patrol exchanged gunfire with an unknown number of armed suspects, killing two near El Rancho El Tejaban.

The description of the encounter suggested the road patrol happened upon a static armed encampment.

Following the conclusion of the firefight, soldiers seized eight AR-15 rifles, seven AK-47 rifles, 24 40mm grenades, four grenade launcher attachments, 217 weapons magazines, radios, tactical gear and one hand grenade.

Among the eight vehicles seized were one Dodge Ram pickup truck, one Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck, one Ford Expedition SUV, two GMC Sierra pickup trucks and three Chevrolet Cheyenne pickup trucks.

Two motorcycles were also seized at the scene.

Chris Covert writes Mexican drug war and national political news for Rantburg.com
Posted by: badanov 2012-10-18
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=354050