The number of drug-related deaths for this year in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico has already surpassed 2,000 homicides–almost 400 more murders than the total count for 2008, new figures released on Wednesday by Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz indicate.

Reyes Ferriz said, “It has been 22 months of this war, and it hasn’t stopped. The violence has increased, and the possibility that it will stop is becoming more remote.”

The mayor attributed the surge in drug-related violence to an influx of cartel groups. The rival Sinaloa and Juarez cartels are making their way to the city to participate in the warfare for the control of the smuggling route between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas. According to authorities, the Sinaloa cartel is headed by Mexico’s most wanted man, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

Reyes Ferriz added, “The majority of the people detained and the bodies found are not from Ciudad Juarez. It is an intense battle between these two groups. The level of violence has reached new levels. Retaliation between the groups has become more violent and terrorizing.”

(article and photo source: CNN)