Mexico Gunmen Kill 35

Nineteen victims were at a rehab clinic
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 12, 2010 10:43 AM CDT
Mexico Gunmen Kill 35
Police stand outside of the Faith and Life drug rehabilitation center in Chihuahua, northern Mexico.   (AP Photo)

At least 30 gunmen burst into a drug rehabilitation center in a Mexican border state capital and opened fire, killing 19 men and wounding four people, police said. Gunmen also killed 16 people in another drug-plagued northern city. The killings—in Chihuahua city and in Ciudad Madero—marked one of the bloodiest weeks ever in Mexico and came just weeks after authorities discovered 55 bodies in an abandoned silver mine, presumably victims of the country's drug violence.

More than 60 people have died in mass shootings at rehab clinics in a little less than two years. Police have said two of Mexico's six major drug cartels are exploiting the centers to recruit hit men and drug smugglers, often threatening to kill those who don't cooperate. Others are killed for failing to pay for drugs or betraying a dealer. (More Mexico stories.)

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