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Mexico: Forty kidnapping victims found

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico, June 27 (UPI) -- Forty kidnapped victims were discovered bound in duct tape in a violent Mexican border area that has been the focus of a new anti-crime initiative.


The victims were found by federal agents in two homes in Nuevo Laredo. One of the victims reportedly suffered a stab wound and was being treated at an area hospital, El Universal said Monday.

Last week Nuevo Laredo's mayor fired 150 policemen week because the officers failed background checks and drug tests. The mayor also named a new police chief.

The action comes in the wake of the country's "Operation Safe Mexico" program to combat a recent wave of drug-related killings in Nuevo Laredo and other Mexican urban locales.

The program also includes using federal troops as law enforcement in some cities.

Earlier this month, Nuevo Laredo's newly appointed police chief was killed just hours after assuming office.

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