TIJUANA – The surge in deadly violence continues in the city, with six people killed since Sunday, a total of 27 in two weeks, authorities said.

The latest homicides pushed the death toll this year to 353 through Wednesday. State authorities estimate that 80 per cent of the murders can be attributed to conflicts among criminal bands over the sale of illegal drugs on the street.

It was just on Aug. 25, when the Baja California Attorney General's Office noted that there had been nearly 200 fewer murders this year in Tijuana compared to the same period last year. The deadly violence has increased since then, however.

Two murder victims were found on Wednesday morning in different locations, both stabbed, state authorities announced.

One of them, a man, was found at 5:35 a.m. on a street in the Ruiz Cortínez neighborhood, in the city's northeast side. The victim was identified as Juan Manuel Lizárraga González, 50, who had multiple stab wounds to his face and head, the State Attorney General's office said.

About 90 minutes later, the body of a woman was found at kilometer nine on the road to Valle de Las Palmas neighborhood, on the east side. She was identified as María Lorena Landín Gaeta, 38, who was found inside a restaurant.

She had been stabbed in the neck and collarbone and had bruises on her right arm, authorities said.

On Tuesday around 7:05 p.m., the body of a man was found in colonia Mariano Matamoros, also on the east side. The victim was identified as Tomás Delgado Arellano, 34, who appeared to have been shot several times in the back. He carried with him three small packages of "crystal" meth, authorities said. A black GMC with California plates, registered to the victim, was recovered at the scene.

Two other homicides occurred on Sunday. One of the victims was identified as Daniel Velázquez Tenorio, 40, who apparently was shot several times just past midnight in the western neighborhood of Soler, authorities said.

Eight hours later, the body of a man was found near Rancho Alegre, in the communal eastside neighborhood known as Ejido Lázaro Cárdenas. The victim, 35 to 40 years old, has not been identified. He had wounds to his head and back.

Omar.millan@sandiegored.com