Palomas, a small frontier settlement, has one of the worst murder rates in Mexico. Even at funerals, violence runs rampant. The village straddles a main contraband route across the Mexican-U.S. border. Historically, the settlement has been a preserve of cattle rustlers, liquor, marijuana and gin smugglers long before cocaine rode into town.

The Times of London reports that, “this yea, though, as Mexico finds itself riven by a savage inter-cartel drug war that has already resulted in more than 1,100 deaths nationwide, the death toll has soared.”

37 Palomas residents have been shot dead since January. Another 17 have been abducted and a re still missing. Last week alone, nine inhabitants were killed. Two months ago, violence grew after the local crime boss in Palomas, Humberto del Hierro, disappeared.

In response to the dire nationwide crises, the casualties of which have included scores of police officers, President Felipe Calderon has deployed 25,000 troops to ten Mexican border cities since the beginning of the year. But the violence continues unabated in Palomas despite the arrival of 200 soldiers.

To read the entire article from the Times, link here:

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