Cartel violence has gripped northern Mexico as up to a dozen bodies were found around Monterrey in possible gang killings that may be a purge of members from a local Mexican drug cartel.

The bodies were found by Mexican authorities dismembered and placed in seven separate sites all over the city. This discovery has rocked Monterrey, which has seen a significant drop in violence over the last few years, with businesses flocking to the city considered the industrial and business capital of Mexico.

Monterrey has recently become a technological hub in Mexico, with Tesla announcing that it would open a huge car factory in the city in 2024. However, the killings showed that gang violence is still pretty much present there.

Several drug cartels vied for control of Monterrey during the early 2010s, with violent acts such as leaving the bodies of their victims hanging on bridges or leaving body parts next to signs being a common practice among these Mexican gangs. This is usually an attempt to scare their rivals.

According to the BBC, local media have reported that the remains were found on Tuesday and they were all next to signs that said that there were attempts to infiltrate a local cartel. These signs were signed by the Cartel del Noreste, better known as the Northeast Cartel.

Photos of the messages were released by the local media and these photos from the killings were also shared via social media, though police did not confirm whether these messages were authentic or not.

Police have also not confirmed which cartel was behind these grisly Mexico gang killings, but they did say that it was done by a cartel from the neighboring state of Tamaulipas. This hinted that it was indeed the Northeast Cartel, which is based in Tamaulipas.

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Likely Internal Conflict Leads to Mexico Gang Killings in Monterrey

Mexican authorities have stated that the attack appeared to be a coordinated one. It was reportedly "sparked by an internal conflict within a criminal group based in the bordering state of Tamaulipas."

Reuters reported that Pedro Jardon, the attorney general of Nuevo Leon state where Monterrey is, spoke with reporters on Tuesday regarding the gang killings.

"From the messages that were left (near the bodies), there's a correlation," Jardon said.

The messages from the Northeast Cartel that were shown by the local media stated that the criminal group may have been infiltrated. No other details about this have been revealed yet.

What Is the Northeast Cartel, the Group Allegedly Behind the Latest Mexico Gang Killings in Monterrey?

The Cartel del Noreste, or the Northeast Cartel, is based in Tamaulipas and is said to have been founded by former members of the notorious Zetas Cartel, one of the biggest and most violent drug cartels in Mexico.

Juan Gerardo Treviño Chavez, the cartel's alleged leader, was arrested by Mexican authorities back in March 2022. He was subsequently deported to the US but still, the gang continued to operate in Tamaulipas and its neighboring states.

The cartel is known for extorting migrants heading for the US-Mexico borders and pressuring migrant shelters, according to a report by Insight Crime. The group operates unimpeded by rivals or authorities in several areas in northern Mexico.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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