Mexico: 5 Plastic Bags Full of Hacked-up Body Parts Found in Colima State Plagued by Mexican Drug Cartels

By Rick Martin First Posted: Jul 26, 2022 03:50 AM EDT

Authorities in Mexico found five plastic bags containing human remains in the state of Colima plagued by Mexican drug cartels on Saturday.

According to Borderland Beat, state police and military discovered the plastic bags on the Manzanillo highway to Armeria, near the El Eden bridge.

Authorities went to the place after some concerned citizens dialed emergency numbers and reported what they had seen.

After they confirmed that the plastic bags contained human remains, state police and military then cordoned off the area for further investigation.

The plastic bags and their content were reportedly sent to the Forensic Medical Service office, called Semefo, for autopsies and identification.

Surge of Violence in Mexico's Colima State Due to Mexican Drug Cartels

Recently, there has been a surge in violence in Mexico's Colima state because of Mexican drug cartels. According to reports, the violence resulted from the split between the Independent Cartel of Colima, also known as Los Mezcales, and the Jalisco cartel.

Mexico News Daily reported that members of the Los Mezcales cut ties with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and switched their allegiances to Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera's infamous Sinaloa Cartel.

Los Mezcales previously acted as the Jalisco cartel armed wing in Colima state. However, its sicarios decided to switch sides to the Sinaloa Cartel.

The split first manifested in a brawl between members of the two supposedly allied sides last January, inside a prison in Colima city. Ten inmates were reportedly killed as a result of the fight, and seven others were injured.

The inmates were housed together because members of Los Mezcales and the Jalisco cartel were previously identified to belong to the same criminal group.

Following the prison brawl, more violence broke out in the streets of Colima city and the neighboring municipality of Villa de Álvarez.

The Los Mezcales was formed in the El Mezcalito neighborhood of the city of Colima, which is known as a "key point" for the distribution of illegal drugs in the capital.

The group is reportedly led by a man known as "El Vaca" or "The Cow," whose identity has not been disclosed by authorities.

Colima Is Mexico's Smallest yet Deadliest State

In 2020, several high-profile public figures in Mexico's Colima state were assassinated, which garnered even more reputation for Colima as one of the smallest yet deadliest states in the country.

Colima has a very small population. Less than one million people call the state home. However, in 2019, it had a murder rate of 97 homicides per 100,000 residents.

That is higher than bigger states like Baja California, which had the second-highest homicide rate that year at 80 homicides per 100,000 residents.

This high murder rate would have been unbelievable just a few years prior. According to Insight Crime, Colima was previously considered one of Mexico's safest states, as its murder rate in 2015 was just a third of what it was in 2019.

Apart from the assassination of high-profile politicians and other public figures, several mass graves have also been found in Colima.

Many of those buried there reportedly belonged to victims of the Mexican drug cartels' violence. Both the Jalisco cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel operate in the state and are battling for supremacy there.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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