Mexico: 2 Bodies Found Hanging From Bridge in Sonora as Mexican Drug Cartels Battle for Territory

Two bodies of men were found hanging on a freeway bridge south of Empalme in Mexico's state of Sonora on Easter Sunday. The State Attorney General's Office identified one of the victims as Jose de Jesus "El Pelon" Luna, who was allegedly a member of Los Salazar.

The prosecutors' office said members of the state security discovered the two lifeless bodies at around 12:25 a.m. "on April 17 in complete suspension" along Federal Highway 15 Bridge in Empalme.

Authorities also found cardboard with a letter addressed to a criminal group. So far, Borderland Beat reported that no suspects related to this crime had been arrested. But the state prosecutors' office said a dispute between criminal groups is now being investigated.

Authorities said El Pelon had a criminal record for robbery with violence against people, injuries, and domestic violence. In September 2019, he was reportedly chased by several members of a criminal group who had set fire to his house when he tried to take refuge in his home in the Libertad de Empalme neighborhood.

At the time, El Pelon managed to escape. However, his eight-year-old son Dayron Jesus, his partner Perla Veronica, 31, and his brother Christian Abel Luna died. Five-year-old Keyli Cristal was seriously injured but survived after medical treatment.

The Los Salazar and Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico

The Los Salazar has been leading the drug trafficking operations in Mexico's Sonora state since the 1990s. According to Borderland Beat, the criminal group originated from Chinipas, Chihuahua. Mexican and U.S. authorities recognize the Los Salazar as the leading operator of the Sinaloa Cartel in Sonora.

The group operates in the strip of borders of Sonora and Chihuahua states and the international border of Sonora with the U.S. Its best-known homes bases of operations are in Navojoa, Sonora, and Chinipas, Chihuahua.

Don Adan Salazar Zamorano was the founder and leader of Los Salazar. After the escape of Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera in 2001, Don Adan had an alliance with the Beltran Leyva brothers who were El Chapo's associates.

They played a significant role in the restructure generated by the war after the split of the Sinaloa Cartel with the Beltran Leyva brothers. The Los Salazar took El Chapo's side.

The Los Salazar has aligned themselves as the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel and became part of the group Gente Nueva founded in Chihuahua by El Chapo's lieutenant named El Flaco Salgueiro.

The Los Salazar is still operating in Sonora in alliance with the Sinaloa Cartel led by El Chapo's four sons, known as "Los Chapitos." The battles for the plazas in the name of Los Chapitos make the Los Salazar a fearsome and powerful group in Sonora.

Armed Attacks in Mexico's Sonora State on Easter Sunday

Apart from the two bodies found on a bridge in Sonora, a series of armed attacks also happened on Easter Sunday.

According to El Universal, armed men put an end to a party in a home in the Villas del Campestre neighborhood of Ciudad Obregon at around 2:30 a.m. The State Prosecutor's Office said a dispute between rival criminal groups left seven people injured.

The victims, aged 18 to 31 years old, reportedly have criminal records. All of them received medical attention, and only one was reported serious. Authorities said the victims were in a "meeting" when the armed men arrived in a vehicle and sprayed the house with bullets.

The second shooting incident happened at around 5 a.m., when a group of armed men raided a home in Esperanza town and took a man's life.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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