DAILY MAIL: The bodies of 58 men and 14 women have been discovered in Mexico – the latest victims of the country’s brutal drugs war. Soldiers made the gruesome find in a raid on a remote ranch near the border with Texas. The victims are thought to have been executed by a rival gang in a turf war for control of the region and drug routes into the United States. The Golfo cartel and rivals Los Zetas, composed of elite soldiers who deserted the Mexican army, are former allies who fell out a few months ago. The massacre came to light after a man with gunshot wounds appeared at a military checkpoint and told marines he had been shot at a nearby ranch. Heavily armed troops went to the ranch, backed up by military aircraft, where they came under fire. One suspect aged under 18 was arrested, but most of the others managed to flee in vehicles. As well as the 72 victims, the marines found 21 weapons, including AK-47 assault rifles, shotguns, and M-4 assault rifles, along with a huge amount of ammunition and bullet-proof vests. MORE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE: Mexico’s Gulf Coast is a heavily used corridor for migrants from the rest of Latin America and elsewhere hoping to cross illegally into the United States. Many poorer migrants hop trains from the Guatemalan border to the Rio Grande. Those with more money hire smugglers, paying $3,000 or more for the journey. The Zetas and other criminal bands have become heavily involved in the human smuggling business. They often hold people hostage until they’re paid sums far beyond the agreed-upon fee, migrant advocates say. Gangsters also kidnap even poorer migrants, hoping to collect ransom from relatives in the United States or back home. Marines and soldiers have freed hundreds of migrants from gang safe houses in Reynosa, Matamoros and other cities in recent months. A number of Mexican local, state and federal police officers have been arrested and accused of aiding in the migrant abductions. MORE
RELATED: Since President Calderon took office in December 2006 and declared war on powerful drug cartels, some 28,000 people have been killed.