Three of the seven elderly men allegedly kidnapped by Mexican drug cartel gunmen were found dead on the side of a road in Mexico's Zacatecas state on Sunday.

The victims were identified as Salvador Herrera, 89; his son, Eutimio Herrera, 60; and Carmelo Hernández, 79, Daily Mail reported. The three seniors were among the seven elderly men who were allegedly kidnapped by members of a Mexican drug cartel on Friday.

It was reported that the armed suspects took the three men from their ranches in the municipality of Valparaiso in Zacatecas but never contacted the families to request a ransom for their release. The area is being plagued by an ongoing turf war between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. 

One of the victims' family members said their grandfather was abducted in front of their grandmother. The family member noted that the suspects did not give them the opportunity to see and speak with their grandfathers for the last time.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Zacatecas State Attorney General's Office told Daily Mail that the families had failed to report the kidnappings.

Reports said the bodies of the three elderly men were taken to a local morgue, while the location of the other four seniors was still not known.

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Cartel Violence in Mexico's Zacatecas State

Official data showed that around 948 people were murdered in Zacatecas during the first 10 months of 2021. It was higher than the 342 recorded deaths in the same period last year.

Late last month, at least 12 died in a series of clashes between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco cartel in Zacatecas. The state also recently made headlines after more than a dozen bodies were found hanging from overpasses and a tree.

Human remains were also found in two plastic bags in the same month. At least four municipalities in Zacatecas reportedly ran out of police officers after mass resignations last month, USA Today reported.

Most of the cartel violence in Zacatecas is reportedly connected to two main turf wars between the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco cartel. There is also a second turf war between factions of the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas cartel.

Security experts said an unprecedented wave of violence had enveloped the streets of Zacatecas as four Mexican drug cartels fought over the territory.

Security experts noted that Zacatecas had not been an important market for drug dealing, but it is crucial in transporting fentanyl from Mexico's South Pacific ports to the U.S. border.

Zacatecas reportedly links the center and west of Mexico to the American border, a key territory for drug-trafficking routes.

The Jalisco Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel

The Jalisco cartel or Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) is currently the Sinaloa Cartel's main rival. The Jalisco cartel is currently being led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known by his alias "El Mencho," according to an InsightCrime report.

The Sinaloa Cartel is reportedly not a hierarchical structure as its leaders like Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada all maintained their own separate but cooperating organizations.

The Jalisco cartel came out from the Sinaloa Cartel in 2010 after the death of former Sinaloa Cartel capo Ignacio Coronel, known as "Nacho," who was killed by Mexican security forces. Nacho's death resulted in the split into two factions - "La Resistencia" and "Torcidos" - of the Sinaloa Cartel. 

The "Torcidos" became what is now the Jalisco cartel, which has since expanded rapidly in Mexico. The CJNG involves itself in many criminal activities, including international drug trafficking.

Most recently, the cartel got involved in synthetic drugs and powerful opioids like fentanyl, which the Sinaloa Cartel was also involved in the trafficking of. The Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco cartel remain as the two most dominant organized crime groups in Mexico.

READ MORE: El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel Continues to Thrive Despite the Drug Lord's Absence: Report 

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Mexico's Zacatecas Turns Into the Latest Battleground for Cartels - From Al Jazeera English