A total of 15,973 murders were registered in Mexico during the first six months of 2018, making it the deadliest year since 1997 when a tracking system was implemented.

The reports are gathered by the Secretariado Ejecutivo del Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pública (SEGOB), according to local reports.

Between January and June of 2017, there were 13,751 killings. Additionally, statistics indicate that there has been a 125.6% increase in murders involving the use of firearms over the last three years.

When comparing figures from January to June 2015 with those of the same period this year, there is an increase in homicides by 85 percent, according to El Economista.

The most dangerous state in Mexico is Colima, according to the recently released statistics. Colima registered a 27 percent increase in homicides and currently has a rate of approximately 80 murders per 100,000.

Guanajuato, in the center of the country, saw a 122% increase in homicides, about 40 per 100,000. Many of the killings registered there are attributed to criminal groups linked to fuel thieves known as “huachicoleros,” who illegally tap government pipelines. Breitbart Texas reported on the violence related to “huachicoleros” in central Mexico, including a raid in Puebla that resulted in the arrest of 136 fake cops and the murder of six police officers.

Other areas affected by cartel violence are the border cities of Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez. Tijuana registered 1,463 homicides in the first half of the year, an increase of 44% compared to the same period in 2017, which is attributed to ongoing turf wars involving Cártel Tijuana Nueva Generación (CTNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel’s fights for local control, as reported by Breitbart Texas. The border states of Coahuila and Tamaulipas also continue to be problematic due to warring cartels.

The U.S. Government recently issued a security alert in Ciudad Juárez, prohibiting employees from traveling into downtown zones without advance permission after 180 killings were registered in the month of June.

Breitbart Texas recently reported on the record-breaking murders in Quintana Roo, which encompasses Cancún, Tulum, and Cozumel, where 286 homicides were registered–a 132% increase over the previous year.

One area that has seen significant improvement is Cabo San Lucas, which was previously breaking records for its cartel killings. The Mexican government deployed military and federal police assets and completed June without a single registered homicide, according to local reports.