8 of the World’s Most Violent Cities (2 of 3)

4. Ciudad Obregón, Mexico

With 101.15 murders per 100,000, Ciudad Obregón in the Mexican state of Sonora also makes the list of most dangerous cities. The reason is pretty obvious: it is a major base for the international drug trade. Human trafficking is also a big problem here. But in spite of this, the IPN International Book Fair and Tetabiakte Art and Culture Festival are a pair of events that attract a lot of prominent authors and artists.

5. Irapuato, Mexico

Famous for its strawberries and, oh yeah, mass shootings in nightclubs, Irapuato is the second largest city in the Mexican state of Guanajuato with around 540,000 people. It might not be as large as many of the others on this list, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. In recent years it has reported around 95 murders per 100,000, with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel to blame. Things have gotten so out of control that the local police have no idea how to deal with it, so they leave it up to the federal authorities who haven’t fared much better.

6. Ensenada, Mexico

Home to around 280,000 people, Ensenada would more appropriately be characterized as a town. Nonetheless, it’s a pretty violent place due to turf battles between three separate cartels: the Sinaloa, the Jalisco New Generation, and the Arellano Felix Organization. The homicide rate is 90.58 per 100,000, and other dangers include the illicit drug trade and human trafficking.