Most of a shipment of New Zealand cows destined for small ranchers in Mexico's Chihuahua state instead wound up on the ranch of the then-governor, an anti-corruption group has claimed.

The group said documents that include government cattle tracking records show that some 900 cows made it to the ranch of the now-fugitive ex-governor Cesar Duarte.

Mexicans Against Corruption And Impunity published its investigation on Tuesday.

A shipment of 1,400 cows arrived by ship at the Pacific port of Mazatlan in June 2015.

The shipment was arranged by the government to help rebuild the state's herds after two years of drought.

They were to be distributed to small ranches with fewer than 45 cows.

The group said farmers took out government-financed loans to pay for cows they never received.

AP

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