Prosecutors in the violent western Mexican state of Jalisco revealed on Wednesday the discovery of five lifeless bodies stacked inside a bulletproof SUV. In a separate incident near the Arizona border, authorities uncovered seven additional bodies.
The state prosecutors' office disclosed that the SUV was located on a road in Villa de Corona, situated south of Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco state.
Jalisco is recognized as the base of operations for the notorious drug cartel of the same name. The Department of Justice has classified the Jalisco cartel as "one of the five most perilous transnational criminal organizations globally." The cartel's leader, Nemesio Oseguera, known as "El Mencho," is a top target for both Mexican and U.S. authorities.
Mexican drug cartels frequently utilize either custom-made or professionally manufactured bulletproof vehicles, along with high-powered weaponry.
Furthermore, prosecutors in the northern border state of Sonora stated that seven bodies were found just off a road near the town of Puerto Peñasco, located on the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez.
Reports from prosecutors revealed that the victims were all men dressed in military-style gear and had been fatally shot. Their bodies were discovered near the Gulf of Santa Clara, just west of Puerto Peñasco.
One of the deceased individuals was identified as a local leader of a faction of the Sinaloa drug cartel known to have operated in Mexicali. Mexican authorities, in compliance with regulations, referred to the man only by his alias, "El Pía." His identity was confirmed through fingerprint records.
Ongoing conflicts between different factions of the Sinaloa cartel have been linked to the violence in the region.
The chief of the DEA stated in an interview with CBS News that the Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels are the primary organizations responsible for the surge of fentanyl into the United States, resulting in the deaths of numerous Americans.
The offspring of notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman were among the 28 individuals associated with the Sinaloa cartel who faced charges in a major fentanyl-trafficking probe announced last year.
