Twenty Gunshot Victims Found on Mexican Highway; Suspected Cartel Involvement

Mexican Prosecutors: "All Bodies Show Gunshot Wounds"
Suspected Bloody Clash Between Drug Cartels

Twenty bodies were discovered on a highway bridge in Sinaloa, western Mexico. The location where the bodies were found is an area known for drug cartel conflicts, and it appears that a violent clash occurred between drug cartels.

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According to the Associated Press and CBS News on June 30 (local time), prosecutors in Sinaloa reported that the previous day they had found four headless bodies hanging from a bridge on the Culiacan highway in Sinaloa, as well as sixteen more bodies inside an abandoned vehicle by the roadside.

Reports indicate that the site where the bodies were found is a cartel conflict zone. The Associated Press stated, "A bloody power struggle has intensified between two factions within the powerful Sinaloa Cartel," adding, "Since last year, after clashes erupted between 'Los Chapitos' and 'La Mesa,' Culiacan has become the epicenter of cartel violence."

Prosecutors explained that all the bodies showed signs of gunshot wounds. A note, believed to have been left by one of the cartel factions, was found next to the bodies, but its contents were not disclosed.

Feliciano Castro, spokesperson for Sinaloa state, stated, "We need to review our crime response strategies to confront such large-scale acts of violence," and added, "The military and police are working together to restore complete peace in Sinaloa."

In Sinaloa, violence has sharply escalated since about a year ago, after cartel leader Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada was arrested in the United States. Zambada claimed he was kidnapped in Mexico by the sons of 'El Chapo' Guzman and forcibly transported to the United States on a private jet.

This led to bloody clashes between Zambada's associates and the faction led by El Chapo's sons, known as 'Chapitos,' with more than 1,200 people reportedly killed so far.

Recently, throughout Sinaloa, it has become common for bodies to be left on streets or atop vehicles, sometimes with a sombrero (a traditional Mexican hat), a pizza slice, or a pizza box placed on top. Pizza and sombreros are regarded as unofficial symbols representing different cartel factions.

Since 2006, approximately 480,000 people have been killed and more than 120,000 have gone missing in Mexico, mostly due to drug trafficking-related crimes.