La Paz, the Sinaloa Cartel’s Favorite Clandestine Cemetery in Baja California Sur

The highway from La Paz to San Juan de la Costa is famous for being the route to beaches like El Quelele, Cajete, and Mogote in Baja California Sur. However, the road has also become the Sinaloa Cartel’s favorite cemetery, as human remains have been found in this area.

Since 2024, authorities and groups searching for missing persons have located 52 human remains in five clandestine cemeteries in the municipality of La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur.
The first site was located in May 2024, on a property near the El Cajoncito stream; the other four were located in different locations along the highway from La Paz to San Juan de la Costa.

The sun, the desert, and the colorful beach landscapes make these places go unnoticed by the thousands of national and international tourists who visit the state in search of peace.

According to the State Commission for the Search for Persons (CEBP), in the last four years, human remains have been found in four of the state’s five municipalities. La Paz leads the list with 74 skeletons; followed by Los Cabos with 41; Comondú with 23; Mulegé with three; and Loreto is the only one with zero.