Contents

• Introduction
• Charts and maps
• Summary data, Mexico drug war deaths
• U.S. citizen deaths in Mexico
• Chronology
• Statistics by state and month
• Statistics by municipality and month, selected municipalities

Introduction

Beginning in December 2006, new Mexican President Felipe Calderon launched renewed federal efforts to combat drug-related crime in Mexico. Despite the campaign's significant successes, drug-related violence in Mexico has intensified since then. According to Mexican government statistics, fatalities from fighting between drug cartels, combat between cartels and Mexican authorities, and other drug-related violence has risen from 2,826 in 2007 to 15,273 in 2010. A total of 37,632 drug violence-related deaths are reported in Mexico from 2006 to mid-February 2011.

These profound levels of violence are not best described as a civil war or as terrorism, since on the broad scale they are neither--despite the fact that many attacks target Mexican authorities, that President Calderon has indicated that the cartels seek to subvert the government, and that a limited number of the attacks do meet accepted definitions of terrorism. The violence in general represents a serious degree of lawlessness in Mexico: most of the killings are of drug cartel criminals by drug cartel criminals.

The increased violence does represent a serious foreign policy concern for the United States. At least 259 U.S. citizens were murdered in Mexico from December 2006 to February 2011, including several targeted U.S. government employees. While this is still a minority of deaths of U.S. citizens in Mexico over this period (most deaths are due to motor vehicle and other accidents), the fraction of U.S. citizen deaths in Mexico that are due to violence (cartel-related or not) has risen from 23.7% in 2003-2005 to 32.6% in 2008-June 2010 (based on U.S. State Department figures, which may be incomplete). Valid concerns have been raised along the U.S. border that the violence could spill into the U.S. Of the 34,612 fatalities reported by the Mexican government from December 2006 to December 2010, 47.7% were in states bordering the U.S., and 28.1% were in municipalities within 50 km of the U.S. border.

The following statistics include data derived from a Mexican federal database on drug violence deaths from December 2006 to December 2011, reported by month and by state and municipality, and data derived from a U.S. State Department database on deaths of U.S. citizens abroad from October 2002 to June 2010. Additional figures and reports on particular incidents are compiled from news media reports. Some of the tables below have some focus on casualties to U.S. citizens, for the purpose of clarifying some of the issues for U.S. foreign policy. This should not be construed to diminish the fact that it is primarily the people of Mexico that are being victimized, including innocent Mexican civilians and the Mexican police and troops combating the cartels.

Charts and maps

Summary data, Mexico drug war deaths

• border states (6): Baja California, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Nuevo León, Sonora, Tamaulipas.
• border municipalities (included in border state figures): cities/towns with 50 km of U.S. border.
• west/central (8+1): Colima, Durango, Federal District, Guerrero, Jalisco, México, Michoacán, Nayarit, Sinaloa.
• other (17): Aguascalientes, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatán, Zacatecas.

U.S. citizen deaths in Mexico

Reported deaths of U.S. citizens in Mexico due to homicide, execution, or drug-related. Figures for 2002 are for October-December only; figures for 2010 and 2011 are incomplete.
(Source: U.S. State Department database supplemented by media reports)

Reported deaths of U.S. citizens in Mexico, deaths reported as homicides, executions, or drug-related as a fraction of U.S. citizen deaths from all causes. No percentage is given for periods/states with fewer than 2 deaths. Figures for 2002 are for October-December only; figures for 2010 are for January-June only.
(Source: U.S. State Department database)

Chronology

Note: Includes signficant events or attacks within Mexico; attacks in Mexico on U.S. citizens; cross-border attacks into the United States and related incidents.

month	deaths, Mexico	deaths, border states	significant attacks/events, Mexico	significant attacks/events, cross border
1985-2006			7 Feb 1985--U.S. DEA agent kidnapped and killed in Mexico Mar 1989--15-37 kidnapped and killed (including 1 U.S. citizen) by satanic cult near Matamoros, Tamaulipas	6 Sep 1989--U.S. Border Patrol agent killed in Fresno, California 19 Jan 1996--U.S. Border Patrol agent killed in shooting on Texas border 3 Jun 1998--U.S. Border Patrol agent killed in Arizona Oct 2006--part of Buenos Aires NWR and area, Arizona, closed to public due to violence
Dec 2006	62	18	1 Dec--Felipe Calderon takes office as President of Mexico 11 Dec--President Calderon sends 6500 troops to Michoacan to combat violence
Jan 2007	146	48
Feb 2007	106	39
Mar 2007	266	88
Apr 2007	249	59
May 2007	313	102
Jun 2007	200	51	Jun--284 federal police commanders fired by President Calderon
Jul 2007	159	45
Aug 2007	300	69
Sep 2007	262	76
Oct 2007	294	71
Nov 2007	259	85
Dec 2007	272	89
Jan 2008	306	120		19 Jan--U.S. Border Patrol agent killed in vehicular assault near Yuma, Arizona
Feb 2008	331	149
Mar 2008	352	154
Apr 2008	294	123	26 Apr--17 killed in cartel battle in Tijuana, Baja California
May 2008	506	235
Jun 2008	512	258
Jul 2008	614	256	16 Jul--Mexican Navy intercepts drug-smuggling submarine off Oaxaca
Aug 2008	706	346		7 Aug--Mexican troops cross border into Arizona, hold Border Patrol agent at gunpoint
Sep 2008	573	249	15 Sep--10 killed, 100 injured by grenade attacks on crowds celebrating Mexican Independence Day in Morelia, Michoacan
Oct 2008	860	534	11 Oct--gun and grenade attack on U.S. Consulate General in Monterrey caused no injuries
Nov 2008	981	592	30 Nov--18 killed in cartel battle on Mexico-Guatemala border
Dec 2008	802	411	10 Dec--U.S. anti-kidnapping expert kidnapped in Saltillo, Coahuila
Jan 2009	588	310	6 Jan--grenade attack on TV station in Monterrey, no injuries
Feb 2009	741	386
Mar 2009	626	206	Mar--5000 troops sent to Ciudad Juarez 26 Mar--fugitive U.S. Marshal killed in Ciudad Juarez
Apr 2009	641	226
May 2009	638	251	May--U.S. teen killed in Ciudad Juarez by stray gunfire
Jun 2009	923	405	6 Jun--18 killed (2 Mexican soldiers and 16 cartel gunmen) in 4-hour gun battle in Acapulco, Guerrero Jun--3 U.S. citizens killed in Tijuana
Jul 2009	848	417	7 Jul--U.S. activist killed in Galeana, Chihuahua	23 Jul--U.S. Border Patrol agent killed in shooting near Campo, California
Aug 2009	882	436	6 Aug--gun battles and grenade attacks occur in multiple locations: 13 killed, 22 injured in Pachuca, Hidalgo; 2 killed, 18 injured in Silao and Irapuato; 9 killed in La Calera; 1 killed in Ciudad Juarez
Sep 2009	928	490	3 Sep--17 killed in attack on clinic in Ciudad Juarez
Oct 2009	904	455
Nov 2009	831	436
Dec 2009	1,064	557	Dec--U.S. citizen killed after kidnapping in Gomez Palacio, Durango 22 Dec--gunmen kill 4 relatives of a Mexican Marine killed in an anti-cartel operation, shortly after the Marine's funeral
Jan 2010	1,080	539	31 Jan--16 teens killed in shooting attack on party in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua
Feb 2010	988	468	1 Feb--4 U.S. citizens killed in various attacks
Mar 2010	1,266	657	13 Mar--two attacks on U.S. Consulate (Juarez) employees: one kills pregnant U.S. Consulate employee and El Paso County Sheriff's office employee; second kills husband of U.S. Consulate employee	27 Mar--rancher in Arizona killed by individual illegally crossing from Mexico
Apr 2010	1,250	646
May 2010	1,363	698
Jun 2010	1,494	770	10 Jun--19 killed, 4 injured in attack on drug rehabilitation clinic in Chihuahua, Chihuahua; simultaneous attacks killed 21 others 27 Jun--9 killed in attack on drug rehabilitation clinic in Gomez Palacio, Durango 28 Jun--7 killed, included candidate for governor of Tamaulipas, in shooting attack near Ciudad Victoria
Jul 2010	1,494	812	15 Jul--3 killed in car bombing in Ciudad Juarez, Juarez 18 Jul--17 killed in attack on party in Torreon, Coahuila
Aug 2010	1,488	776	22 Aug--U.S. citizen found dead between Acapulco, Guerrero, and Zihuatanejo 25 Aug--72 bodies found on ranch in northern Tamaulipas
Sep 2010	1,160	574	9 Sep--25 killed in multiple attacks in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua 10 Sep--85 prisoners escape in prison break in Reynosa, Tamaulipas 30 Sep--U.S. citizen killed in shooting attack on couple jetskiing in Falcon Lake, Tamaulipas-Texas border 30 Sep--U.S. citizen killed in shooting on bus in Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Oct 2010	1,467	730	Oct--20 U.S. citizens killed in Cuidad Juarez, Chihuahua Oct--Tamaulipas police commander killed while investigating Falcon Lake shooting 30 Oct--3 U.S. citizens killed in two separate attacks in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua 31 Oct--U.S. citizen and 2 Mexican citizens killed in attack in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua
Nov 2010	1,079	490	2 Nov--2 U.S. citizens killed in shooting in Ciudad Juarez 5 Nov--55 to 100 killed in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, in day-long gun battle between Mexican military and cartel members; international bridges to Texas closed; 660 Mexican marines, 30 helicopters, and 17 land vehicles involved
Dec 2010	1,144	515		15 Dec--U.S. Border Patrol agent killed near Nogales, Arizona; gun used was part of BATF operation coming under Congressional inquiries in Feb 2011
Jan 2011	1,008		26 Jan--U.S. missionary fatally shot near San Fernanco, Tamaulipas, died at border crossing
Feb 2011			5 Feb--2 U.S. teens, 1 Mexican teen killed in shooting in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua 8 Feb--47 hostages freed in Reynosa, Tamaulipas 14 Feb--9 injured in grenade attack in Matamoros, Tamaulipas 15 Feb--1 U.S. ICE agent killed, 1 injured in attack near Santa Maria del Rio, San Luis Potosi	Feb--two Brooks County, Texas, deputies and their families threatened at their homes

* media reports claim 55-100 killed in Matamoros on 5 November 2010.

© 2011 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 28 February 2011.
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