MONTERREY, MEXICO – A gruesome discovery was made on Tuesday in Monterrey, a prominent industrial city in northern Mexico, and its surrounding suburbs. Authorities found several bodies, some dismembered and others stuffed into plastic bags, in various locations including some of the country’s most affluent neighborhoods.
The exact number of victims remains uncertain as the state prosecutors of Nuevo Leon are still conducting their investigation. Preliminary reports confirm the discovery of at least seven corpses and five additional bags filled with human remains.
Gerardo Palacios, the chief security official of Nuevo Leon, suggested that the brutal killings might be the result of an internal feud within a drug cartel based in the neighboring state of Tamaulipas. While both the Gulf and Northeast cartels operate in the area, Palacios did not specify which group he believed to be involved.
According to Palacios, the gruesome scene is indicative of a purge within the cartel due to perceived disloyalty among its members. This practice is not uncommon among Mexican drug cartels, who often leave dismembered bodies in public places as a warning to officials or rival gangs.
In a similar incident in July, the bodies of four men and two women were found on the side of a street in Apodaca, a suburb of Monterrey. Reports suggested that the victims may have been tortured before being shot in the head.
This recent wave of violence is a stark contrast to Monterrey’s recent achievements, including being chosen as the site for a new Tesla car plant. The city, which experienced a surge of drug-related violence in the 2010s, had seen a period of relative peace until Tuesday’s grim discovery.
Nuevo Leon has witnessed an increase in violent incidents in the past year, including the brutal murder of 18-year-old law student Debanhi Escobar in Monterrey. Last year also saw the arrest of the alleged leader of the Northeast cartel, Juan Gerardo Treviño, also known as “El Huevo,” who the U.S. Justice Department described as the “drug trafficker, enforcer, weapons procurer, and plaza leader” of the cartel.