Drug violence swept through Mexico’s Pacific Coast state of Guerrero this weekend, killing at least 45 people – more than 30 in the beach resort town of Acapulco.  Among the dead are policemen killed in drive-by shootings, suspected members of the drug trade targeted by assassins or killed in a gun battle with soldiers, and at least one civilian hit by a stray bullet.

While there’s no official explanation for the surge in violence in Guerrero, widely circulated rumors tell of a new alliance among 3 powerful cartels to eliminate another.

Weekends with double digit death tolls are usually only seen in Ciudad Juarez. The northern border city located across from El Paso, Texas was also the site of violence this weekend. Among the dead are 3 people connected to the US consulate in Juarez.

They were shot in front of their children in two separate attacks after leaving a child’s birthday party. Two of the children were injured. The State Department has since authorized consular employees in 6 border cities to move their families to the US.