Prosecutors in the violent western Mexican state of Jalisco said Wednesday they discovered five dead bodies heaped in a bulletproof SUV, and authorities near the Arizona border discovered seven more victims.
According to the state prosecutor’s office, someone reported the vehicle on Tuesday by calling an emergency hotline. Inside, investigators discovered the deaths of five males “with visible signs of violence.” The office did not provide an explanation for the men’s deaths.
The SUV was discovered on a road near Villa de Corona, located south of Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco State.
The state is home to the same-named drug cartel. According to the Department of Justice, the Jalisco cartel is “one of the five most dangerous transnational criminal organizations in the world.” The cartel’s boss, Nemesio Oseguera, or “El Mencho,” is among the most wanted by Mexican and US police.
Mexican drug gangs frequently deploy handmade or commercially manufactured bulletproof vehicles, as well as military-grade firearms.
On Wednesday, prosecutors in Sonora reported the discovery of seven bodies near Puerto Peñasco on the Gulf of California, better known as the Sea of Cortez.
Prosecutors said the deceased were all males dressed in military uniforms and had been shot to death. Their bodies were discovered in the Gulf of Santa Clara, approximately west of Puerto Peñasco.
One of the victims was identified as the local head of a Sinaloa drug cartel division that had primarily operated in Mexicali, a border city. In accordance with Mexican regulations, the guy was only identified by his nickname, “El Pía.” Officials established his identification using fingerprint records.
Different Sinaloa cartel factions have been fighting over trafficking routes in the area.
The head of the DEA told CBS News that the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels are the two Mexican cartels responsible for the fentanyl invasion into the United States, which is killing tens of thousands of Americans.
The sons of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman were among the 28 Sinaloa cartel members charged in a huge fentanyl-trafficking operation last year.
