Mexico: 5 Decapitated Heads Found Inside Ice Coolers in Tamaulipas as Mexican Drug Cartels Battle for Territory
At least five decapitated heads have been found in less than a week in Mexico's Tamaulipas state, which is plagued with violence between several Mexican drug cartels.
According to Infobae, human remains and four decapitated heads placed inside a cooler were found on the Ribereña highway near the exit to Poblado Los Guerra in the municipality of Miguel Aleman early Sunday morning.
Reports said next to the cooler was a cardboard with a narco message believed to have come from the Northeast Cartel hitmen. Local reports said the narco message was specifically addressed to the leader of an "antagonistic group" believed to be the Gulf Cartel.
The victims reportedly belong to its rival Gulf Cartel, who had been kidnapped, tortured, and killed as an act of revenge for the dismemberment of its member last Thursday.
Military officials said one of the bodies could be a mechanic working for the rival group. The narco message noted that "more work like this is needed," adding that they do not mess with innocent civilians or soldiers.
It went on to say that a certain "Captain Malaga" sells out the Northeast Cartel operatives with "those faggot Gulf Cartel members." The message added that they had left their "mechanic in pieces here for you."
One Human Head Found in Mexico's State of Tamaulipas
Last Thursday afternoon, a motorist traveling on Los Leones Boulevard in Miguel Aleman municipality noticed a dismembered body in the middle of the road and reported it to the authorities.
At the crime scene, police found multiple items placed on the road. The dismembered body was wrapped in a red cloth, and a sack lay on the ground next to a red cooler and several pieces of cardboard with a narco message.
According to Borderland Beat, inside the cooler was a decapitated head of a man whose skin had been partially removed. Authorities also found more dismembered remains believed to be the same person inside the cooler.
The Gulf Cartel reportedly signed the narco message, addressing the Defense Ministry and army personnel.
The message said that their problem was not against any law enforcement agencies, saying that the "chaos that went down in Mirador" was done by the Northeast Cartel.
The Gulf Cartel noted in its message that its rival cartel wanted not just to kill innocent civilians and families but also to steal and terrorize citizens.
The Gulf Cartel then asked Mexico's Ministry of Defense (SEDENA) to allow them to work at night to "finish off" its rival cartel members, adding that all troops "will be respected."
Warring Mexican Drug Cartels in Mexico's State of Tamaulipas
Turf battles have reportedly become common in Mexico's Tamaulipas state, where remnants of the Gulf Cartel and several other Mexican drug cartels have been carrying out turf battles.
The Associated Press reported that border cities in the state are lucrative routes for smuggling drugs. The Gulf Cartel reportedly controls the border cities of Matamoros and Reynosa.
According to local reports, the two cities have suffered high levels of violence since the government in Mexico launched an offensive to capture Gulf Cartel leaders in these cities. One of the consequences of these operations was that the cartel reportedly broke into smaller factions.
In July last year, three of the warring factions of the Gulf Cartel announced that they had reached an agreement on a truce that would postpone the shootings and killings in Tamaulipas.
Tamaulipas state police had confirmed the printed banners with slogans like "Long live Peace!," which were posted by Gulf Cartel factions in the border city of Reynosa and other cities.
The banners were printed with red, white, and green letters like the colors in Mexico's flag and were signed by the Metros, the Scorpions, and the Reds - the three main factions of the Gulf Cartel involved in the turf war. It was unclear if the Cyclones, a fourth faction, was part of the agreement.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
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