Tijuana.- Two former municipal police officers were shot to death Wednesday morning in an eastern district, authorities announced.

The killings pushed Tijuana's total number of violent deaths so far this year to 268, some 110 less than the same period last year.

Meanwhile, the mayor announced the city's anti-corruption program would move next to the police division in Los Pinos, coincidentally the same area where the two officers were shot to death.

Baja California's Attorney General's Office reported that the officers were killed around 6 a.m. They were identified as Juan Carlos Salgado Villada, 30 years old, and Jaime Moreno Guillén, 34, both formerly on the force. The agency said the murders may be related to street drug-dealing.

Their bodies were found on Privada París street in the Chapultepec Californias neighborhood, in the Los Pinos district. A total of 16 spent 9 mm shells were recovered.

Fermín Gómez, the state's deputy attorney general for organized crime, said the majority of the violent deaths that occurred in the city this year are tied to groups that sell drugs on the street.

"There continues to be a dispute among groups of drug dealers," he said, adding that the names of the group leaders often crop up in murder investigations.

Also on Wednesday morning, Mayor Carlos Bustamante announced that the city's anti-corruption regimen would next move to the Los Pinos police division. It's in a district located in the city's east side that has about 300,000 inhabitants.

The program, which began under the previous city administration, consists of testing each officer's honesty and commitment to the job. Those who pass muster receive training, new tactical equipment and new cruisers.

As part of the program, the division is now commanded by a retired military captain, Eleazar Arce Sánchez, who will have 120 municipal officers to patrol the area.

The anti-corruption program has been implemented in seven of eleven of the city's police divisions. Those already "swept" are Playas de Tijuana, Sánchez Taboada, Otay, Downtown, La Mesa and San Antonio de los Buenos.

Omar.millan@sandiegored.com