TOLUCA, Mexico— Authorities in the state that surrounds Mexico City are vowing to step up security patrols after dismembered bodies began turning up there this month.
The governor of Mexico State says he won’t allow the area to become an arena for drug gang battles.
Gov. Eruviel Avila says he has ordered police checkpoints on roads leading to Toluca, the state capital located just west of Mexico City.
Mayors in of suburbs on the outskirts of Mexico City on Friday called for army patrols in the area.
On Thursday, Mexico’s top security official said a dispute between drug gangs was responsible for the dismemberment killings, at least 16 of which have occurred since mid-January.
Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said federal forces would start special operations in the state.