April 14th, 2010
06:00 PM ET

Government: More than 22,000 dead in Mexico drug war

More than 22,000 people have died in drug-related violence since Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared war on the nation's narcotrafficking cartels in December 2006, a government report said Tuesday.

The Mexican government does not routinely release the death toll in the drug war. Recent media reports had given an unofficial tally of 18,000 dead.

According to a report made available by Calderon's government to members of the Mexican senate, 22,700 people have died since Calderon took office in December 2006. In addition, the report said, more than 3,000 people were killed this year from January through March. Last year, 9,635 people were killed, the report said.

Interior Secretary Fernando Gomez Mont confirmed the figures at a news conference Tuesday.

– CNN en Espanol's Rey Rodriguez contributed to this report.

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