At least 49 decapitated and dismembered bodies were found early Sunday morning on a highway in northern Mexico. A message written on a wall near where the bodies were dumped referenced the Zetas drug cartel. Authorities believe the killings are connected to territory disputes between rival cartels.
"This continues to be violence between criminal groups. This is not an attack against the civilian population," said Nuevo Leon state security spokesman Jorge Domene.
The bodies were found around 3 a.m. outside the entrance to San Juan, a town in the municipality of Cadereyta Jimenez. It appears the victims may have been dead for several days before their remains were dumped. Police say the dead includes 43 men and at least 6 women.
Last week, 18 decapitated and dismembered bodies were found in Jalisco state. The bodies were left in two vehicles parked on a highway in Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos, a small town between Guadalajara and Chapala. Authorities believe the gruesome crime was the work of the Zetas drug cartel and may have been retaliation against a rival drug gang. The Zetas cartel left a handwritten note at the scene, but authorities have not revealed its contents.
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