Mexico City, Jul 25 (IANS/EFE): Over 1,000 people have been arrested in Mexico for their involvement in human trafficking and prostitution, officials said.

Around 500 men and 530 women were arrested by the federal police in Ciudad Juarez during the weekend, the Public Safety Secretariat said.

At least 20 minors were also rescued in the raids, which were part of a programme aimed at finding missing children in Mexico.

Officers raided 24 bars, three hotels and two boarding houses in Ciudad Juarez, located across El Paso, Texas.

The AMBER National Alert Programme is a network that links police, prosecutors, non-governmental organisations, citizens and the media to locate missing children.

Ciudad Juarez, a metropolis with 1.2 million people, is considered Mexico's murder capital.

The city has been plagued by drug-related violence for years.

In 2007, at least 310 people were killed. It more than tripled to 1,607 in 2008, and climbed to 2,754 in 2009. More than 3,100 people were murdered last year.

In 2011, over 1,000 people have been murdered in the city.