Armed Mexican soldiers, their identities protected by ski masks, at a gate at one of the ranches

November 30, 1999
Web posted at: 10:42 a.m. EST (1542 GMT)

EL PASO, Texas (CNN) -- More than 100 FBI agents and forensic experts are expected in northern Mexico on Tuesday to help dig up and identify the remains of as many as 100 missing U.S. and Mexican citizens who may have been killed by Mexico's Juarez drug cartel and buried in two mass graves.

Mexico's attorney general says 22 U.S. citizens are believed to be among the dead. Most of the victims are believed to be Mexicans.

The grave sites were discovered on two ranches near Juarez, south of El Paso, U.S. government sources said. One source said authorities uncovered some human remains there in recent days.

INFORMATION HOTLINE Relatives of missing people can call these numbers for more information: (Call from the U.S. or Mexico) 800-338-5856 800-716-7852    VIDEO CNN's Jim Hill goes to the area of the grave sites. Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K     MESSAGE BOARD War on drugs

As part of a joint investigation with Mexican authorities, FBI forensic experts will help with the identification of the remains using DNA analysis, a process expected to take several weeks.

Both countries have been investigating the disappearance of their citizens along the Texas-Mexico border in recent years.

Pictures taken at one of the ranches, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of Juarez, showed it was surrounded by armed Mexican soldiers, their faces hidden by ski masks to protect their identities.

Mexican and U.S. authorities were tipped off about the possible mass graves by informants, the source said.

The area along the Texas-Mexico border is part of a major drug corridor into the United States. Mexican and U.S. authorities are investigating whether any links exist between the remains and the Juarez drug cartel, a major cocaine trafficker.

Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, is considered one of the most violent cities in Mexico -- with much of the violence linked to drug trafficking.

Mexico City Bureau Chief Harris Whitbeck and Correspondents Pierre Thomas and Jim Hill contributed to this report.

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