Mexico: Ten Bodies Left in SUV Parked Outside State Governor’s Office

An SUV filled with 10 bodies was left outside the office of a Mexican state governor in a public square lit up with holiday decorations, officials said on Thursday.

According to authorities, the bodies were discovered crammed inside a Mazda SUV, which was abandoned in the main plaza of Zacatecas near a Christmas tree just before dawn broke, The Guardian reported.

David Monreal, state governor, stated in a video that was taken at the scene that the bodies showed signs of bruising and beating.

He also added that the suspects came to leave the dead bodies exactly in front of the palace, referring to the offices at the Plaza de Armas of the city, which has been standing for centuries.

In addition, the federal public safety department stated that a man was seen driving the SUV into the scene. The man then got out of the vehicle and left the area through an alleyway.

Suspects Arrested

Authorities from Mexico have already taken two suspects into custody. The officials stated that they became suspicious of the vehicle driving around the area and checked it out.

Afterwhich, the vehicle was abandoned, and the federal security ministry discovered 10 badly beaten dead bodies inside.

According to Monreal, Zacatecas has been experiencing major challenges in security, making it hard to bring down violence. He also vowed that he will make sure to recover the peace in the area little by little despite the history of violence.

"Bit by bit we will recover our peace. What we received was a cursed inheritance," he said.

Turf Wars Amplify Violence in Zacatecas

Due to the continuous turf wars of rival gangs, Zacatecas has become one of the most violent regions in Mexico. According to official data, in 2021 alone, 1050 murders were reported in the state, which is 260 more than the murders registered in 2020.

This is because Zacatecas is a major transit point for the drug trade in Mexico, especially those groups that transport fentanyl, a powerful synthetic painkiller, to the north to cross the US border.

Zacatecas was previously dominated by the Zetas cartel. However, a large number of cartels are currently fighting for the turf. The cartels include the notorious Sinaloa cartel, Jalisco, North-east cartels, Gulf, and the "Talibans," who are remaining members of the Zetas.

Turf wars among the drug cartels are known to cause thousands of deaths in the country.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been struggling to significantly decrease the number of homicides in the country. In 2021, from January to November, there were 31,615 killings reported, which is only 3.6% lower than the 2020 record of 32,814.

READ MORE: Six More Bodies Found Hanging in Mexico as Mexican Drug Cartels Battle for Territory

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Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: 10 bodies abandoned in a truck outside the Government Palace of Zacatecas -Excélsior TV