Tijuana's bloodiest year
U-T special report Violence in Mexico Drug feud fuels brutality that has ripped the region
By Sandra Dibble
2:00 a.m. January 4, 2009

Some victims were mutilated, their corpses dumped on vacant lots and discovered by passers-by. Others were ambushed while driving down busy thoroughfares in broad daylight. Over the year, a billiards bar, a seafood restaurant and a produce warehouse became killing grounds.

As President Felipe Calderón's government brought unprecedented pressure to bear on drug traffickers, Tijuana marked its bloodiest year in 2008, with 843 killings, more than twice 2007's total of 337.

“The truth is, I never expected the battle to be so fierce,â€