TUXPAN, MEXICO – Several dismembered bodies were discovered in two abandoned vehicles in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, Mexican prosecutors announced Monday. An ominous banner was also found, seemingly bearing a warning message from a notorious cartel.
Located in the coastal city of Tuxpan, the remains were reportedly packed into Styrofoam coolers inside two trucks. A printed banner left on a truck claimed the victims may have been Guatemalans, while attributing the horrifying act to “the four letters”, a term referring to the brutal Jalisco New Generation Cartel, often recognized through its Spanish initials.
Authorities confirmed the contents of the vehicles were “human anatomical parts”, though the exact count of victims is still being determined via lab tests. A portion of the found banner read, “Guatemalans, stop believing in Grupo Sombra, and stay in your hometowns.” It’s suggested that Grupo Sombra is a fragment of the fractured Gulf cartel that is currently locked in a turf war against Jalisco in northern Veracruz.
Veracruz’s Attorney General’s Office vowed on social media that the ghastly crime won’t go unpunished, while the state’s interior department said current speculations point towards an act of “settling of scores” between rival gangs. It added: “This administration has made a point of not allowing the so-called ‘settling of scores’ between criminal gangs to affect the public peace.” Security reinforcement in the region has been initiated to curb further violence.
Historically, the Veracruz state, known for frequent violence due to feuds among cartels, houses several covert body dumping grounds utilized by cartels to dispose of victims. Incidents of severely mutilated bodies being abandoned in public or hung from bridges with threatening messages have also been on the rise. These gruesome acts reflect the increasing audacity of cartels seeking to intimidate their competitors.