McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — Stories about crime, Mexican cartels and corruption on the Southwest border made up the majority of the 10 most popular stories published by Border Report in 2024. A couple of other stories relating to criminal convictions by migrants released from U.S. custody and dwindling water on the U.S.-Mexico border also made the cut. Here is a breakdown of the 10 most-read stories on Border Report in 2024: No. 10 — Cash seized at border Quarter of a million undeclared dollars seized from Mexican-bound Nissan at border A vehicle carrying nearly $250,000 in hidden cash was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials in May trying to cross from Pharr, Texas, into Reynosa, Mexico. No. 9 — 'Missing water' woes Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez in April asked federal and state officials to account for what he called "missing water" from two South Texas international reservoirs. South Texas border officials request info on ‘missing water’ The request came during a punishing drought that caused the state's only sugar mill to shut down, taking with it 500 jobs, and threatening water supplies for the region as Mexico failed to pay annual water allotments it is supposed to give the United States under a 1944 international water treaty. No. 8 — Mexican National Guard and civilians highway confrontation A shootout between Mexican soldiers and armed civilians on a Mexican highway leading from Juarez to Tornillo, Texas, included 31 high-caliber weapons on Oct. 20. National Guard, armed civilians clash on border highway Some truckers have expressed misgivings about using the highway due to well-documented drug cartel activity in the area known as El Valle de Juarez (Valley of Juarez).  No. 7 — Data on migrants with criminal convictions released A nationwide controversy erupted just weeks before the presidential election when the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told a Texas lawmaker that the agency had released 435,000 undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions. ICE released over 435,000 migrants with criminal convictions, data shows Over 662,000 noncitizens with criminal histories were on the agency's non-detained docket -- meaning they are not detained while they await immigration proceedings. And of those, over 435,000 were convicted criminals, ICE Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner wrote to U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas. Border Report did a follow-up story in October explaining how immigrants end up on the docket, which includes those who are in federal prisons, and those put on DHS's Alternatives to Detention program. No. 6 - Missing ride-share drivers in Mexico Five ride-share drivers went missing in the border town of Ojinaga, Mexico on May 30. Five ride-share drivers missing after trips to border The area is where La Linea drug cartel operates and Border Report did a follow-up story linking the cartel to the killing of the ride-share drivers. Ojinaga sits across the Rio Grande from Presidio, Texas. The town caught the eye of international news media in October 2021 when 13 Mexican migrants were kidnapped and killed as part of rival drug cartels' fight for control of migrant smuggling in the Chihuahua City-Ojinaga corridor. No. 5 - Mexican army chase kills 6 migrants Mexican officials in October admitted that army soldiers fatally shot six migrants and wounded 12 others during a high-speed vehicle chase in the southern state of Chiapas. Army shoots 6 migrants dead during vehicle chase Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called the incident "regrettable." No. 4 - 5 headless bodies found 5 headless bodies abandoned on Highway 80 The severed heads of five men were found in Jalisco, Mexico, in October after the governor of that state reported members of a criminal organization had blocked a highway and was burning vehicles in response to the arrest of two of its members. No. 3 - Thousands missing in Baja California, Mexico 20,000 people are missing in Baja California, group says A private research group told Border Report in October that 20,000 people were missing in Baja California, and accused Mexican government officials of undercounting the missing. No. 2 - Bodies found in Mexican dump truck 19 bodies found in dump truck Former Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in July vowed to protect citizens on the country's southern border after rival gangs fighting over drugs and migrant trafficking were tied to the deaths of 19 bodies found in and around a dump truck in the Mexican town of La Concordia, 35 miles from the Guatemala border. No. 1 - US sends soldiers into Mexico US sends 220 soldiers into Mexico American troops crossed into Juarez, Mexico, from El Paso on June 24 and took part in a joint disaster response exercise with the Mexican army. Video taken by a Border Report camera crew shows military helicopters cross into Mexican airspace and was our most popular story of 2024. About 220 American soldiers under the command of Joint Task Force Civil Support of the U.S. Army’s Northern Command based in Fort Eustis, Virginia, took part in five days of exercises as part of Fuerzas Amigas 2024 in Juarez, Mexico. Sandra Sanchez can be reached at [email protected].