Baja California, the little brother to Alta California

San Diego Trib: Rising addiction rates and disputes among street-level drug dealers were key factors in driving up homicides in Tijuana last year, making 2016 the most violent in the city’s history, authorities said Tuesday.
 The total for the year came to 910 for Tijuana, according to figures for the Baja California Attorney General’s Office. That represents a 36 percent increase over 2015, when authorities registered 670 homicides. The 2016 tally surpasses the city’s previous record in 2008, when authorities reported 844 killings.
 “There is a tremendous conflict in the street over the sale of drugs,” said Miguel Angel Guerrero, coordinator for special investigations in the Baja California Attorney General’s Office in Tijuana. “Every day, we see more addicts, and as we see more addicts, there will be more drug consumption, more problems, and more deaths as a result.”
 With a population of more than 1.7 million residents, Tijuana is Baja California’s largest city and has traditionally led the state in homicides. Last year was no exception: By comparison with Tijuana’s 910 killings, Mexicali, the state capital, had 112 homicides, Ensenada had 85, Rosarito Beach had 80 and Tecate had 77, according to the Attorney General’s figures.